Time Not Yet Lost
by thebaddestwolf
Summary: After the TARDIS falls into the pit on Krop Tor one of its room's timelines is thrown off, giving the Doctor and Rose a sketchy glimpse into the future. At first glance things look grim, until Rose decides they can put the room to good use after all.
1. Chapter 1

Rose tossed her book down next to her on the console chair and huffed, blowing a strand of fringe out of her face.

She had been waiting for the Doctor for two hours - _two hours_ - without a single trace of him and was beginning to get worried - she'd never known him to go so long without either tinkering with his time machine or having a laugh with her.

Ever since the events that happened on the Krop Tor base, since the beast's foreboding words that the Doctor swore on his hearts weren't true, he had been disappearing on the ship more often and for longer periods of time.

Rose was beginning to wonder if the beast's warning was true, that she would soon die in battle; it's not like the Doctor would tell it to her straight, even if that were the case.

"Yep, your days are numbered Rose - let's have some fun while it lasts!" was not something her Doctor would simply come out with. But comforting her with tight, swaying bear hugs while subtly distancing himself from her as he prepared for the worst, that was definitely more his style.

The funny thing was, the most frightening thought that crossed Rose's mind as she contemplated her potential demise was not regarding her own fate, but that the Doctor would be left to travel alone. She remembered how broken he had been when she first met him, how evident his pain was despite his efforts to hide it.

When he changed from leather to pinstripes it was as if he had begun to heal, another layer of skin forming over the old wound. Rose knew that her relationship with the Doctor, confusing as it often was, played a large part in that process, acting as a balm over his battered soul. She worried about what he would become if she were torn from him, if the scar tissue dissolved, the scab ripped clean off.

What might he do to try to keep her with him? What might he do if she wasn't there to stop him?

Rose jumped down from the console chair and set off down the sleek TARDIS hallways determined to locate the Doctor and find out the truth, however crushing it may be. If she was going to die, she wanted to tell him that she still meant those words she had uttered in that lonely corridor miles beneath the surface of the Nevada desert.

And if it was her last chance to say it, she wanted she had to make sure he knew how she truly felt about him. How she'd always felt, since the moment he first took her hand.

Rose swiped at the tears forming in the corners of her eyes and pulled herself from her reminiscence - that wouldn't help anything now. She had to know what she was working with, her true fate, and then she and the Doctor could move forward together, for as little or as long as they had.

After checking the Doctor's usual haunts - the library, the physics lab, his study, the banana grove, the anti-gravity yoga studio, and the primary, secondary, and tertiary kitchens - Rose's feet were beginning to ache.

She was about to turn back and curl up in bed with her book when she noticed a smudge of what looked like apricot jam - the Doctor's current favorite - on the doorknob of a room she'd never been in before. The door itself was plain and looked like any other of the TARDIS' utility rooms, but this one was simply marked as 'Storage.'

Rose slowly pushed the door open, trying and failing to avoid the sticky fingerprints on the doorknob, and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dim light. She closed them for a bit, helping her pupils to dilate, and when she opened them several seconds later she gasped at what she saw.

A long, seemingly endless corridor stretched out before her lined with door after door after door. These doors, however, were not plain like the Storage Room door - they were each unique and likely gave a hint of what could be found inside, as did the other doors Rose was familiar with throughout the TARDIS.

The door nearest her had what looked like a top hat etched into the colorful wood, housing the Doctor's much-lauded hat collection, perhaps, and Rose didn't want to guess what lay behind the door with a large black spider painted just above its handle.

Rose laughed, silently admonishing herself for expecting to find a room of boxes and old furniture behind a door marked 'Storage' on a time-traveling spaceship. Still, as she peered down the long walkway, there was no sign of the Doctor.

Keeping the door to the hallway ajar in order to let in more light, Rose slowly began to creep further into the room looking for any door that might be open or have a similar smudge of jam.

"Doctor?" she called, her voice reverberating down the empty corridor.

Nothing. She walked a few more paces, feeling increasingly uneasy without being able to put her finger on why. If she didn't find him in a few more minutes, she was turning back.

"Doctor?" she called again, surprised at the desperate tone in her voice.

Rose was about to turn on her heel and walk briskly back to the TARDIS hallway when a door to her right swung open.

"Rose!" the Doctor beamed, as if he had expected to find her here.

"Oh thank god," she sighed, rushing up to him and stepping into his outstretched arms, inhaling his comforting and familiar scent. "What are you doing in here? I've been looking for you for ages!"

The Doctor smiled down at Rose as she playfully swatted at his arm.

"Oh, just tidying up," he said happily, keeping his arm tightly around her shoulder as he turned them both back toward the hallway. "I'm in the mood for a cuppa, what do you say? There's this brilliant Altrutian brew made from orangewood leaves in the tertiary kitchen that you would just love."

"Wait a minute," Rose said, stopping in her tracks as the uneasiness she felt about this room dissipated now that the Doctor was here. "What is this place? It's not any sort of storage room I'm used to."

"Ah," the Doctor replied, tugging on his ear. "Well, when there's a room that I haven't had a need for in a while the TARDIS automatically moves it in here for safekeeping and to clear up space in the other hallways. There's a room full of DOS computers just down this way - they're just adorable with their black and green screens. Come on - I'll show you!"

Rose allowed the Doctor to continue to steer her toward the door back to the hallway, and in the direction of the DOS computer lab, apparently, when she realized he was leading her away from something. She reluctantly stepped to the side and out of the Doctor's grasp.

"What room were you in just now, Doctor?" she asked, voice trembling a bit as that uneasy feeling began to seep back into her pores. Something about this room wasn't right, she could feel it; the air was thicker, the shadows a bit off.

"Just an old library I don't use much anymore," the Doctor said quickly, smile faltering in one corner. "Now, these old computers have a game called 'Pong' and…"

Rose didn't have a clue what the Doctor might be concealing - it could be his hidden secret jam canning room for all she knew - but something about the way he was acting made her hair stand on end. He had hidden things from her before, resulting in a few brief, largely one-sided discussions on the importance of communication and honesty, and Rose thought they had been moving forward.

But the Doctor's distraction tactics, combined with his increasing distance ever since they had visited the doomed sanctuary base, made Rose particularly wary.

"Please," Rose said quietly, running her hand through her hair. "What are you hiding from me?"

The Doctor faltered and Rose took off in the direction they had come from, trying to locate the exact door he had stepped out of.

"Rose, don't!" he called after her, and he might have said something about timelines, but Rose wasn't listening because what she saw made her breath catch in her throat and her stomach flip.

The next thing Rose knew the Doctor was beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, but she couldn't take her eyes of the white door with the beautiful pink rose the Doctor had painted her very first day aboard the TARDIS.

"Doctor," she breathed. "That's the door to my bedroom."


	2. Chapter 2

***Author's Note: Still with the angst, but I promise there is fluffy to come. Thanks for the reviews so far!***

Rose took a few swift steps toward the familiar door before turning on her heel fixing the Doctor with a pleading, furrowed brow.

"Why is my bedroom in a storage closet full of rooms that are no longer needed? I was in my bedroom a few hours ago!" Rose gasped and her look of confusion turned accusatory, her tone steely. "Oh I get it. You're taking me home, aren't you? You know the beast is right - I'm gonna die in battle if I keep traveling with you - so you're gonna just pitch me back where you found me, yeah?"

Rose bit her bottom lip in an attempt to keep it from trembling and dropped her gaze to the floor, unable to meet the Doctor's agonizing eyes.

"Well I'm not going, alright? I can sleep in any other old room, I don't care," she continued, straining to keep her voice from cracking. "I'll stay away from dangerous situations, okay? If that's what it'll take. Because I'm not going back to my old life - not going back to the estate, not going back to the shop, because I'm not…"

Taking in a shaky breath, Rose forced herself to look the Doctor in the eye again.

"Doctor, I'm not leaving you."

The Doctor appeared more distraught than Rose could ever remember seeing him. His shoulders slumped, his cheeks sallow, and even his hair seemed a bit flat. Slowly, he shook his head.

"No Rose," he said sadly. "That's not it. I'm not bringing you home."

Rose nearly whimpered as the relief washed over her, as she slowly shrugged off the mental armor she had donned in preparation for a fight. The Doctor held out his arms to her questioningly and Rose rushed into his embrace, burying her face against his chest, drying her tears on his starchy suit jacket.

"Then why is my room in here?" she asked after a few moments, arms still wrapped around the Doctor as he smoothed his hands up and down her back. "Did the TARDIS make a mistake, or…? Wait a minute, have you been in here the whole two hours since I saw you last? What have you been doing?"

The Doctor sighed, one of his hands leaving Rose's back, and couldn't help but smile as she knew he was surely rubbing the nape of his neck as he so often did when stressed.

"A mistake? Well yes, it is sort of a mistake I suppose, in that, at this moment in time, it is incorrect and currently out of step with the rest of the universe," he began, gently pulling back from Rose, who frowned at the loss. "But, unfortunately, in the grand scheme of things, it is not a mistake at all, really, more akin to one pixel missing from a 10,000 megapixel image - zoom out far enough and you'd hardly ever notice it. The problem is, in this instance, I am incredibly, ehm, zoomed in."

The Doctor tugged on his ear and Rose rolled her eyes, looking at him expectantly.

"In English, please?"

Smiling sadly and taking her hand, the Doctor began leading Rose toward her bedroom door.

"I think it will be easier if I just show you."

Rose clutched the Doctor's hand and held her breath as he turned the handle and slowly pushed the door open. She wasn't sure what she expected to see - a padded room, perhaps, leading up to the Doctor explaining that she had actually gone mad several years ago and had been at the Clapham Psychiatric Hospital all this time - but she winced in preparation as they stepped into the room.

However, as Rose scanned the scene that lay before her, everything seemed to be surprisingly ordinary. It was, well, her room: soft pink walls with twinkling fairy lights hanging from the exposed coral rafters, her large four-post bed covered in an array of mismatched pillows collected from various alien street fairs, her white antique dresser with matching vanity and bedside table all in their proper place.

"Look around," the Doctor said. "Tell me what you see."

Feeling her previously racing pulse begin to slow, Rose took a deep breath and began to walk around the room, keeping an eye out for any small detail that may give her a clue as to what was going on.

"Wait a minute," she said, as she investigated the photos she had taped next to the mirror on her vanity. "I don't remember taking this picture - this one of us smiling on a hillside of some sort."

She turned to the Doctor, confusion spreading across her face, but he just nodded, expression unreadable.

"Good," he said. "What else?"

Rose took a deep breath and continued, opening drawers, peeking into her en-suite, and checking between the books on the shelves next to her bed.

"Ah ha!" she exclaimed when she spied some unfamiliar coins strewn atop her dresser. "These are out of place too - haven't seen them before, I don't think."

She turned back to the Doctor with a triumphant smile, which he returned half-heartedly. Right, this wasn't some puzzle he was testing her with. Whatever these clues added up to, from the Doctor's demeanor Rose had a feeling the big picture wasn't going to be pleasant.

As she made one final lap around the room, Rose saw the most surprising discrepancy yet. She leaned in closer to her bedside table to make sure she was seeing correctly.

"That's… that's one of your books," she said, bending down to get a better look. "Yep, one of yours alright - it's bound with alien fiber. And those are your reading glasses on top of it."

Rose stood up straight again and froze, remembering something.

"Doctor?" she asked, with a tremor in her voice. "This is a big ship and you're a forgetful bloke - you must have more than one pair of reading glasses, right?"

She turned around just in time to see him push his specs up on the bridge of his nose.

"No," he replied solemnly. "Just the one pair."

Rose turned to look at the glasses laying on top of the book and then back to the ones on the Doctor's face. A chill rippled through her body, causing Rose to shiver violently.

"I have to get out of here," she whispered, pushing past the Doctor and jogging back into the long room where she broke into a sprint, not stopping until she was back in the TARDIS hallway several doors down from the Storage Room.

Rose was leaning against the wall catching her breath when she felt the Doctor's firm hand on her shoulder.

"How about that cuppa?" he asked kindly, giving her arm a squeeze.

"Yeah," Rose said, smiling up at him weekly. "That sounds like a great idea."

Normally it was Rose's job to make the tea, a task she enjoyed both because of its familiarity and because waiting for the tea to boil left her with a lot of downtime - downtime that she spent listening to the Doctor prattle on about this and that, sticking his long fingers into jars before withdrawing them, covered in jam or syrup or nutella, and sucking on his digits thoughtfully.

Sometimes, when he caught Rose staring, he would hum appreciatively, tongue darting out to lick every last drop off his fingertips while she willed her cheeks not to turn scarlet.

She must really look a fright today, though, because the Doctor sat her down immediately upon entering the (primary) kitchen while he got to work turning on the kettle, choosing their favorite teacups, and rummaging around for that special tea he had promised her (before giving up and settling on a British earl gray).

The Doctor seemed distracted as he hurried about the kitchen, even placing the sugar bowl on the table and pouring milk into the creamer - they normally couldn't be bothered with the traditional tea service, scooping sugar right out of the box and splashing milk into their cups straight from the carton in the fridge.

When the Doctor finally sat down next to Rose, with his cartoon banana teacup in front of him and Rose's mustache teacup in front of her, he took a big, loud gulp and then cleared his throat. Rose smiled at him tentatively, stirring her tea as she waited for it to cool.

The Doctor smacked his lips together, seemingly pleased with his tea, and turned in his chair to face his companion.

"Alright, now will you tell me what's going on?" Rose asked, chewing on her bottom lip. "I'm getting really freaked out."

The Doctor smiled at her weakly and took another swig of tea as if it were something stronger.

"You were right about one thing - the problem did happen on Krop Tor," he started, rubbing his hand along his jaw. "When part of the sanctuary base collapsed, when the TARDIS fell into the pit… A time ship is a delicate thing, it's organic, really, and it wasn't meant to be that close to the beast… or to the black hole - I can't determine which - but something that happened between the time it fell into the pit and the time it got back to me, well, some rooms went a bit… wonky."

"Wonky?" Rose couldn't help but giggle at his choice in words. Wonky didn't sound nefarious. Wonky sounded easy, fixable - silly even. Maybe the situation wasn't as dire as she'd supposed.

The Doctor tilted his head and scrunched his nose.

"Well, I say wonky, but I mean more that their timelines shifted. I ran some tests, was able to get the rest of the rooms back on track, except the Storage Room. It's... stuck."

He looked at Rose expectantly, as if trying to gauge her reaction, but Rose could only raise her eyebrows in confusion.

"Stuck?" she asked regretfully, certain, now that he had better defined 'wonky,' that she wasn't going to like the answer to this question. "Stuck how?"

The Doctor placed his hand on her knee and leaned in closer, something that would normally have thrilled Rose if she wasn't so on edge.

"It's stuck in the future, Rose."

Now it was the Doctor's turn to look confused as Rose let out a relieved laugh.

"The future - is that all? The way you're carrying on I thought it might be a paradox or some alternate universe version of my room or a wormhole to a red giant or something," she smiled, placing her hand on top of the Doctor's on her knee. "But if the TARDIS decides that my room isn't used anymore in the future that just means that we, that you and I-"

Rose stopped short as the Doctor shifted his eyes to the table uncomfortably, though he kept his hand on her knee. Of course it was wishful thinking, that in the future she would no longer need her bedroom because she and the Doctor shared a room, together. It wasn't all that implausible, Rose thought, because the way he looked at her sometimes, the way he held her...

But slowly Rose began to put it together, the scattered clues she found in her future bedroom - all of her drawers were full, her pajamas still thrown on the duvet from the night before, the photographs still tacked up next to her vanity mirror. Had she really moved into the Doctor's room on the TARDIS, she wouldn't have left any of those items behind.

"Doctor," she began slowly, knuckles tightening around his hand. "How far? How far into the future is it stuck?"

Rose felt the Doctor's fingers grip her knee before he responded sadly.

"Seven months."


	3. Chapter 3

Rose's breath caught in her chest as she stared at the Doctor in disbelief, feeling that the room had suddenly been blown wide and macroscopic. She'd never felt so miniscule in her whole life.

After a moment her eyes began to burn and she tilted her head backwards in order to stop the tears from spilling forth.

Distantly, Rose felt the Doctor stroking her arm, but instead she focused on a pearl-shaped splatter on the ceiling, the result of the time she and the Doctor attempted to make pancakes on the newly sonic frying pan. ("I've set it to pancakes mode, Rose, it will flip the batter on its own!")

Rose wondered if the stain would still be there after she was gone, or if the TARDIS will have cleaned the ceiling by then.

"Seven months," she breathed, voice barely audible. "All of time and space, and I've got seven months."

The Doctor gripped both her shoulders firmly, pulling her from the trance she'd fallen into.

"Look at me, Rose," he said calmly, and she did, surprised at the focused intensity she found there. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Rose couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

"Doctor, you saw as well as I did - my shoes were still in the closet, my photos hanging on the vanity, hell, even my toothbrush was sitting next to the sink," she said. "Whatever happened - happens - it's clear that I didn't - don't - plan on leaving."

The Doctor stood so abruptly that Rose jumped, arm instinctively flying out to catch his teetering chair before it toppled over. He paced a small stretch of the kitchen, both hands tugging at his hair.

"But I wouldn't just let something-" he started, clearly frustrated, before stopping short. Taking a deep breath, the Doctor stopped pacing and turned back towards Rose. "That's why I've been spending so much time in there - I've been over the room piece by piece, searching for clues, anything that might give me a hint of what happened, of how I can stop it."

Even though it was her fate that hung in the balance, Rose couldn't stand to see the Doctor in so much distress. She walked over to him and took his hand, gently caressing his skin with her thumb.

"Doctor, if that room is in the future that means it already happened" she said sadly.

"You know it doesn't work like that."

"It could be a fixed point in time."

"It's not."

"How do you know?"

The Doctor glowered and stepped away, freeing his hand from hers as he began to pace again.

"I'm the last of the Time Lords - _I_ determine what's a fixed point in time and what isn't," he said angrily, bracing his hands against the kitchen counter and leaning over it, back to his companion. " And you're not, Rose," he said quietly. "You are not."

Seeing the Doctor like that, defeated and hunkered over the countertop, caused Rose's eyes to start burning again. Taking a deep breath, she walked toward him and slowly wrapped her arms around him, encircling his chest.

It took a moment, but soon the Doctor's rigid form softened and he lifted his hands off the table to cover hers. Rose held him tighter, feeling the muscles of his back under her cheek, the flutter of his hearts under her fingertips. After a little while the Doctor turned around and pulled Rose into a tight hug, resting his cheek atop her head.

"I'm sorry for that," he said softly. "I just don't often feel this way - helpless."

"I know," Rose said, voice muffled against his suit. As the Doctor's hands began to rub concentric circles on her back, she nuzzled into his chest.

"Doctor?" she asked after a contented moment.

"Hm?"

"Why do you think your glasses were in there? And your book?"

Rose sensed the Doctor's hesitation by the way she could feel his breath catch beneath her cheek, so she continued.

"Do you think you spend a of lot in time in there? After- after I'm gone?"

The Doctor remained silent, but Rose felt him nod against her hair.

"I hate the thought of that," she said bitterly. "You on this ship alone, mourning in my bedroom even after the TARDIS deemed it unused."

"Don't worry, Rose, it's not going to happen," he said confidently. "I'm going to figure this out and stop whatever it is that would have separated… taken you away."

Rose held the Doctor tighter and shook her head, strangely already feeling resolved to her fate. Even as the Doctor readied himself for a fight with the future, Rose knew that was one area in which she was completely helpless.

But preparing the Doctor for what's to come, for what very well may be a future without her - that was something she could wrap her head around, something she could handle.

Taking a shaking breath, Rose withdrew from the Doctor's embrace and took his hand, leading him out of the kitchen and through the winding halls of the TARDIS.

"Thought you'd have had enough of this room for today," the Doctor joked half-heartedly as Rose pushed open the door to the Storage Room. She squeezed his hand as they stepped inside, grateful for his attempt to lighten the mood.

"Well, Doctor, I've got an idea that I think should suit us both just fine," she replied, smiling up at him as they walked past door after door, hoping her smile seemed less forced than it felt.

When they reached the white door with the hand-painted flower, Rose hesitated a moment. The Doctor, sensing her reluctance, stepped forward and turned the handle, pushing the door open. Rather than step inside, he waited next to Rose for another minute until she was ready to cross the threshold, which she eventually did with baited breath.

Once inside, Rose's eyes scanned the room twice before she frowned and let out the breath she had been holding.

"Nothing's changed," she said flatly, glancing around once more. "I thought maybe, now that I knew about it, something would be different. Or that it might not be here at all."

When the Doctor didn't reply, Rose looked up at him to find his brow knit, eyes darting around the room. Dropping her hand, he pulled the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and adjusted the settings before stalking off to scan different areas of the space.

"Doctor?" Rose asked, more confused than ever. "What is it?"

"Something has changed," he said, continuing his work. "It's small, almost weightless, but I can feel it. There _is_something that wasn't here before."

"Something bad?" Rose gulped, hoping they hadn't done something stupid, like cut down her mere seven months. The Doctor turned the sonic off.

"Nah," he said, turning back to her with a smile. "The mass is so tiny it's practically insignificant. Just curious, that."

The Doctor placed the sonic back in his pocket and strode back to where Rose was standing near the doorway.

"So," he started, sounding like his cheery old self. "What's this idea then, Lewis?"

Rose brightened, trying to shove the building feeling of dread to the back of her consciousness. Gathering her thoughts, she shut the door so they wouldn't have a view of the creepy Storage Room corridor and sat down on the bed.

"Well," she began, clasping her hands together, "you want to look for clues in here to try to figure out what might have happened - or what might be going to happen - whatever. And I am sick and tired of being bored out of my mind, left to wander the TARDIS alone," the Doctor smiled at that, and Rose returned it inch for inch. "So, I thought I'd hang out with you in here too."

Rose noticed the Doctor's eyebrows were raised high on his forehead as if he was waiting for her to continue. She mimicked her expression, tongue poking out from the corner of her smile.

"That's it?" he asked. "That's your whole plan? Oh come on, I see those wheels in your head spinning - out with it."

Rose bit her lip and pulled one of the bed's decorative pillows into her lap, gaze falling to a frayed string she began pulling.

"Um, well I also thought," she started, then hesitated. "I mean, just in case it is a fixed point in time, in case we can't change anything. I don't want you to walk down the dark Storage Room hallway and into this room and only have sad thoughts, you know?"

Rose glanced up at the Doctor tentatively to find him smiling sadly down at her. He opened his mouth to speak, but she rushed to continued first.

"I know you're gonna say you're not gonna let that happen, but it would make me feel better to be prepared for the worst. And hope for the best. Or however that saying goes," she said, placing the pillow back on the duvet and holding his gaze. "I think we should create some happy memories in here for you to have, just in case. What's it called.. positive association?"

The Doctor smiled again and ran his hand over the back of his neck. Rose knew it went against his nature, to concede that there might be a fraction of a chance that he would not succeed, that he would lose her; to actually prepare for that time.

Rose bit her lip as she waited for his response, suddenly aware of how desperately she was clinging to this idea. She noted that her plan was a textbook example of how a person reacts when feeling powerless - the need to control any little aspect of their life that they can.

"Alright," the Doctor said, jostling Rose from her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Sure, don't see why not," he replied, squeezing his neck one last time before rolling his head from one side to the other. "Like you said, I'll be holed up in here anyway. Might as well have some fun while we're at it."

He grinned and Rose smiled back, finally feeling calm for the first time since she saw his sticky fingerprints on the Storage Room door.

"So, what do you want to do?" he asked.

"Hm," Rose said, realizing she hadn't thought that far ahead yet. "We could watch a film?"

"Do you watch films in here?" the Doctor asked, sounding a little hurt. "We usually watch films together in the media room."

"Only when you're working on the TARDIS or right before I go to sleep," Rose said hurriedly. "And I'm sure to only watch girly movies that I know you wouldn't like."

"Oh, right," he replied, winking. "Don't much feel like a film right now, though."

"Yeah, me either," Rose said, twisting a strand of hair between her fingers as she thought.

She watched for a moment as the Doctor seemed transfixed by the motion, focused on her hand, before dropping his eyes to the floor and shuffling his feet. Smiling, Rose rolled her eyes. Daft Time Lord.

"I could trim your hair," she teased, trying to brighten the mood. "Mum taught me how ages ago, I can set up the vanity chair in the bathroom and-"

"Rose Tyler, you are _not_ touching my hair!" he exclaimed, hands flying up to protect his tresses as if she were about to lunge at him with a comb and clippers. "I've just finally figured out how to style it, I won't have you mucking it up."

Rose threw a pillow at the Doctor, which he dodged easily, allowing the frilly thing to continue sailing toward the vanity where it knocked a tube of lipstick to the floor.

"Oh shit," Rose gasped, mouthing falling open. "I forgot to ask - will anything we do in here mess up timelines going forward?"

"Yes," the Doctor replied solemnly. "I'm afraid all of space and time is collapsing in on itself as we speak because Rose Tyler knocked a tube of lipstick off her vanity."

The next pillow hit him square on the shoulder.

"I deserved that," the Doctor laughed, rubbing his hand over his neck.

"Is your neck alright?" Rose asked suddenly.

"Sorry?"

"It's just, you've been rubbing it all day," she explained. "Does it hurt or something?"

The Doctor dropped his hand and looked sheepish.

"Well earlier I was checking for clues under the sink in the bathroom," he said quickly as Rose crinkled her nose. "You'd be amazed what you can discover under someone's sink, Rose, I couldn't just let that stone go unturned! Anyway, I had to twist my neck, a bit, to fit it between the pipes and all the bottles you have under there - how can one person possibly need so many bottles?"

Rose laughed and rolled her eyes, choosing a large pillow from her bed and tossing it down to the floor beneath her perch on the bed.

"Come here."

The Doctor looked confused and didn't move.

"Come on, sit yourself down here," she said, pointing to the pillow. "I'll give you a neck rub - I'm famous for them!"

The Doctor hesitated for a moment before moving toward her, eyebrow quirked.

"Don't have any scissors hidden up my sleeves, promise," Rose laughed, holding up her hands. "Take your jacket off too so I can get your shoulders, if you like."

Rose watched gleefully as the Doctor removed his jacket - an action she didn't get to see as often as she'd like - and placed it neatly on the bed before turning and arranging himself on the pillow at her feet, sitting crossed-legged.

"Famous in what circles?" the Doctor asked as Rose parted her knees to make room for his broad shoulders, tugging gently on them so he knew to lean back against the bed frame.

"Hm?" she said distractedly, unable to resist rubbing her hands along his shoulders, feeling the warmth of his skin seeping through the fabric of his crisp white shirt.

"Your neck rubs, you said you were famous for them," he replied, enunciating each word playfully since she didn't seem to understand the first time. "Famous in what circles?

"Oh," Rose said, placing her fingers on either side of his neck and running her thumbs lightly against his skin. "Mum used to get neck aches all the time since she spent most of her days on her feet, so I'd give her massages after work sometimes. And there was Jimmy, and then Mickey - sometimes I think they liked my neck rubs more than-"

"Alright, I get the picture," the Doctor interjected, and Rose swore she could see the skin at the base of his neck turn a bit pink. "Why don't you put your money where your mouth is."

"Yes, sir," Rose giggled, pursing her lips to prevent any more delighted laughter from spilling forth. This was the first time she could remember that she had implicit permission to touch the Doctor, to run her hands over his skin away from his watchful eyes.

They held hands all the time and hugged a lot, sure, and the hugs did seem to be growing longer and longer, but Rose never had time to do anything more than run her palms over his back a few times before they broke away.

But now she had all of his neck and shoulders to work with and no time limits. Better yet - the goal of her touching him was to ease his muscles, to make him _feel good_. Rose couldn't help the flush that was slowly creeping along her cheeks as she realized how intimate this neck rub could be. She was glad, not for the first time, that he couldn't see her face in his position.

First things first - Rose dove her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck to gently push his head forward, giving her more room to work. She couldn't help but run her fingers a little higher, scratching against his scalp and reveling in the feeling of his soft hair shifting around her touch, before returning her hands to his neck.

Slowly, she began to knead along the center of his neck with her thumbs, pressing gently on the tight muscles lining his spine. Rose smiled as the Doctor let out a soft hum of appreciation.

"Your neck must be _aching_ Doctor, the muscles are so tight," Rose said, to distract herself from the noise he made more than anything. "This is from more than just twisting your neck under the sink - I wonder if you clench your jaw when you sleep."

"Maybe," he mumbled, seemingly focused on the relief he felt from Rose's hands. She wondered if his eyes were opened or closed, if there was a smile on his lips. Perhaps not being able to see his face wasn't a good thing, after all.

Once the muscles on his neck felt less strained, Rose dragged her fingers down to the tops of his shoulders, halting when they reached the Doctor's starched collar.

"Um, Doctor," she started, but he was already loosening his tie and undoing the top couple buttons on his shirt, widening his collar so Rose could access his skin directly. She sucked in a breath before moving her fingers downward.

Trying not to think about what he must look like from the front - with his tie hanging loose around his neck and the collar of his shirt open, perhaps revealing the top of his chest - Rose began to move her fingers along the join of his neck and shoulders. The muscles here were even tighter and she had to lean into him with a good deal of pressure to begin breaking up the knots.

The Doctor groaned.

Rose couldn't help a small sigh escaping from her lips at the sound, knowing that her movements had elicited that reaction. His neck fell forward until his chin was resting against his chest, so Rose had even more skin to work with. She dug her thumbs into his muscles, moving outward along his shoulders until she reached the barrier of his shirt, then heading back toward his neck.

Once the knots had been broken up, Rose's hands fell into a familiar motion, kneading and rubbing the Doctor's shoulders. Unfortunately, with the difficult part out of the way, her mind began to wander.

She wanted him. Of course she did - she always had. But this neck rub, as innocently as it had started as a friendly gesture between mates, was igniting a fire Rose worked hard to keep at bay. Even their most tender hugs didn't involve much skin-on-skin contact, and now suddenly Rose was running her hands all over him and neither of them seemingly had any intent on her stopping.

It would be so easy to continue, to work her hands down his strong arms, to run them over his shoulders toward his chest, feeling his pectoral muscles beneath her fingertips. She could hop off the bed and settle on his lap, soothing his neck this time with her lips, feeling his hands on her back as the slid under her t-shirt and-

The Doctor groaned again.

Right. Rose decided she had to hit the emergency eject button before her imagination really ran away from her and she did something that might risk their friendship. She had a feeling he was _interested_ in her, what with the long hugs and the little stolen glances she'd catch every once in a while, but she wasn't sure there was any intent behind that interest.

And if she only had a few months left with the Doctor, well, she didn't want her foolhardy boldness to make their remaining time together uncomfortable.

To lighten the mood before she ended the massage, Rose delivered a few swift karate-chopping strokes to the Doctor's shoulders with the sides of her hands until he laughed, voice rumbling in his chest under her assault.

"There!" she said, smoothing his shirt in one last lingering touch before crossing her arms to make sure her hands behaved. "You should be sorted for a while, now, I reckon."

The Doctor buttoned the top of his shirt and straightened his tie before standing, picking up the pillow he had been sitting on and tossing it back onto the bed.

"I feel like a new man," he said, beaming at her. "In a much more pleasant way than I usually do."

"New, new Doctor," Rose laughed, looking up at him shyly, crossing her legs her legs at the ankle now that the Doctor had stood up.

"You look a bit tense yourself, Rose," he said, eyeing her as she sat stiffly on the bed. "You know, in some parts of the universe I'm quite well known for my back massages too…"

He shoved his hands in his pockets as he trailed off, looking at her hesitantly. Rose couldn't help the smile blooming across her face.

"Oh yeah?" she asked. "'l'll be the judge of that."


	4. Chapter 4

Some of Rose's better fantasies started off with the Doctor giving her a massage.

In her imagination he typically caught her while she was wrapped in a towel having just come out of the shower, or while lounging in a bikini on the beach of some uninhabited planet, basking in the sun. He'd see to her stiff muscles, sore from their latest run-for-our-lives mishap, and the resulting feeling of skin on skin - combined with the near-death adrenalin surging through their bodies - would make him realize just how much he craved her.

That's how her fantasies started, yes, but they ended in different ways. Lots of different ways. Just thinking about it made Rose shift in her seat on the bed, biting her lip as she tucked a strand behind her hopefully-not-reddening ear.

She was wearing a t-shirt and jeans - not the stuff of fantasies - but she _was_ sitting on a bed… Still, best not be presumptuous.

"What parts of the universe?" Rose asked, echoing his pre-backrub question as she tossed the plush pillow back onto the floor. She hopped off the bed and started to sit on the pillow when the Doctor tutted.

"Oh no, I need more room than that to give you my ultimate massage," he said, moving to push aside the numerous pillows on the bed until a large swath of the duvet was clear. "Here, lie down on the bed on your front while facing the headboard."

Rose's ears were definitely red now, as she was sure her fantasy Doctor had uttered pretty near the same sentences under very different circumstances.

Glancing at him as she moved to follow his instructions, Rose was a little disappointed to find the Doctor looking like his usual self, gently bouncing on the balls of his feet with his hands in his pockets, easy smile spread across his face. There was no trace of the darkened gaze or powerful stance he possessed in her daydreams.

Still, as she kicked off her trainers, crawled onto the bed, and laid down with her cheek resting on a pillow, Rose fought to calm her fluttering heartbeat. If she was honest with herself, Rose felt a bit unhinged by the bizarre path the day had taken - going from boredom to terror to excitement within a few hours.

She tried to push the more unsavory moments - the look on the Doctor's face when she finally realized her room was put into storage for seven months time, for instance - to the back of her mind and live solely in the moment. Rose sighed quietly, thinking that was much easier said than done, when she felt the weight of the Doctor's knees resting on the mattress on either side of her hips.

"Lets see," came the Doctor's voice from above her. "There was that time I was held captive in that Fushiatian massage academy - learned quite a few tricks during that ordeal. Actually, that really came in handy about 150 years later when my magic fingers gave the Exalted Excellency Eridus a foot rub that saved me from execution on the E'Bak Deux system. Took me a few weeks to get rid of the fungus, though."

"What?" Rose blustered, realizing she had been holding her breath.

"You asked me in which parts of the universe was I known for my massage skills," the Doctor replied casually, running his fingers lightly along Rose's shoulders and making her flinch at the sudden contact. "Just relax, Rose. It'll hurt if you hold your muscles taut like that."

_Relax!_ Rose wanted to shout, _How can I relax when you're hovering over me in a bed while I'm face-down on a the mattress?!_ She closed her eyes as she tried to push the images swirling around her mind, of him pulling off her towel, of him tugging on her bikini strings.

The Doctor's weight shifted on the mattress and Rose felt his thumbs press firmly into the flesh where her neck met her shoulders. They circled her sore muscles slowly while his strong fingers gently kneaded along the tops of her shoulders, setting up a sensuous rhythm.

Rose had to bite her bottom lip in order not to moan.

She had long imagined his long, elegant (and also manly and hairy, of course) fingers caressing her, and while a platonic massage after learning life-shattinger news had never crossed her mind, it was difficult not to lose herself to enjoyment.

This wasn't Rose's first massage by any stretch. Back in school, she and her friends would set up massage trains between ciggies while they skipped class, sitting on the dewy grass in a nearby park. Then there was Jimmy, who was quick to offer a back rub, though his hands tended to wander elsewhere before too long. And Mickey had surprisingly nimble fingers, but no sooner did he finish soothing Rose's muscles did he whip his shirt off and ask for a rub down in return.

But Rose knew the Doctor didn't have any intent behind his massage other than helping her to relax. He was doing it because he _cared_. He really cared, it seemed, because he made contented hums of approval every time a knot broke up beneath his fingers, wadded-up muscle loosening under the pressure of his thumbs.

The Doctor began to work his hands lower down her back, thumbs pressing alongside her spine while his splayed fingers ghosted her sides. Rose sucked in breath as he moved across the straps of her bra, and while a couple of her previous masseuses would have taken the opportunity to unhook the clasp - claiming easier access to her back - the Doctor simply passed over the undergarment at the same pace as the rest of her t-shirt-covered skin.

Still, the knowledge of his fingers running over the seams of an article that alluded to more intimate places made Rose's heart race like it did the first time a boy slipped his hands under her shirt in the parking lot after a sixth-form dance. She was suddenly aware what the Doctor might be picking up on with his Time Lord senses; the escalated beating of her heart, her increasingly shallow breathing, and, oh god, maybe even the lazily pooling wetness between her thighs.

"Doctor," Rose blurted, in an effort to distract herself as much as him. "I just realized something."

"Hmm?" he replied distractedly, fingers honing in on a tight muscle just beneath her left shoulder blade.

"The room is seven months ahead, yeah?" Rose continued, clearing her throat to cover the sigh that escaped from the relief his fingers were bringing. "So whatever happens, it happens in less than seven months. We don't know how long the TARDIS moved my bedroom into storage."

"Mm," he said, as his fingers began to work their way lower.

Rose thought that was the closest to an answer she was going to get, as she willed herself not to squirm as the Doctor's fingers moved toward the base of her spine. Her cheeks flushed when she realized that if the Doctor was watching his fingers while he worked, then there was a good chance he had a very close view of her bum.

She was about to yammer on about something - anything - in order to take her mind off that thought when the Doctor finally replied.

"You're right, Rose. Despite the tests I've run so far, we have no way of knowing how long the room has been in storage," he said somberly. "Normally, the TARDIS mainframe would have an archive of all the rooms, but since that is running on the proper timeline it registers your bedroom of where it belongs on one of the main corridors."

Rose could only utter a soft "Oh," as she wrapped her mind around the idea that her numbered days were even shorter than she had thought.

"But the good thing is, we'll have warning signs," he continued, perking up a bit. "All of the things that you noticed were out of place - the photograph, those coins - as soon as you see any trace of them you have to let me know at once. That way, we'll have some advance notice. I'll be able to work out a plan."

"Okay," Rose said, trying to sound upbeat while in the base of her stomach she had a feeling that it was all for naught. "And the book? Your glasses? Those are out of place, too."

The Doctor was silent for a moment while he ran his fingers lightly over her back and shoulders, smoothing away any lingering tension. Rose sighed deeply as she felt herself sinking into the plush mattress in a state of complete relaxation, despite the distressing topic at hand.

"I think your earlier summation was right, about those," he said quietly. "I probably bring them into the room after you- afterwards."

"Oh, right," Rose replied, starting to feel sleepy. After a bit she noticed the Doctor's fingers had stopped moving, hands resting lightly against the small of your back.

"All done," he said in the same quiet tone. "How do you feel?"

Rose rolled over onto her back and stretched languorously, reaching her arms above her with her eyes still closed as she sighed contentedly. When she opened her eyes, arms resting on the pillows above her head, there was a look in the Doctor's eyes that she had never seen before.

The features in his face had gone soft, the creases in his forehead smoothed, as he gazed down at her with warm brown eyes. He looked… _enamored_, with his jaw slightly slack and his eyebrows tilting subtly upwards.

"Brilliant," Rose whispered in response, feeling lightheaded at the sight of him looking at her like that while he loomed over her, one knee on each side of her waist.

She couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if he leaned forward, resting his hands on the pillow under her head to support his weight as he slowly brought his lips to hers. It would be so simple then, the way Rose would run her tongue along the seam of his mouth, the way she would lift her hips off the mattress, pressing her chest against his.

But her mind barely had time to form that image before the Doctor coughed loudly and scampered off the mattress, standing next to the bed as he sheepishly ran his fingers through his hair.

"Good," he said, plunging his fists into his trouser pockets. "Good, good."

Rose tried to hide the disappointment in her face as she sat up, yawning as she stretched once more.

"Think I should head to bed - in my proper bedroom," she said. "I'm a bit knackered."

"Right, of course," the Doctor replied, reaching for her hand to help her off the mattress. "You must be drained after a day like this."

"Almost as drained as from a day full of running," Rose laughed, slipping her trainers back on. She took the Doctor's hand again as they left her the storage room and began winding down the TARDIS hallways toward her real bedroom.

They didn't say much on the walk back, bumping shoulders occasionally as they navigated the halls. Soon they were in front of the familiar white door with the hand-painted rose - was it more faded on the other door, or was that just her imagination?

"Well, 'night Doctor," Rose said, unable to resist wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug, leaning her cheek against his chest.

"Goodnight, Rose," he replied, holding her to him until she stepped back and, with a smiling glance at him over her shoulder, walked into her room and shut the door.

Even though the bedroom was literally identical to the room she had just been in - save for the photo, coins, book, and glasses - Rose felt like she was somewhere else entirely. This room just felt… _right_. She wondered if this is what was like for the Doctor and his superior senses, to step into a room and just know if everything was as it should be.

As Rose went through the motions of getting ready for bed, brushing her teeth and washing her face, her tired mind mulled over the events of the day. She kept going back to the the way the Doctor acted the second time they entered the bedroom, when he realized something was there that hadn't been before.

Rose quickly shucked her trainers, jeans, and shirt before slipping on a pair of plaid pink shorts and a white vest top. She climbed into bed and began smoothing her hair into a ponytail as she replayed that moment in her mind.

He said it was tiny, whatever the new item in her future bedroom was - that it's mass was so small it was practically insignificant. Still, the look he had on his face had told her it was anything but.

Yawning again, Rose settled under her duvet and turned off the lamp on her bedside table. She was about to roll onto her side and finally succumb to sleep when she heard the faint echo of footsteps walking away outside her bedroom door.

The Doctor had been standing out there all this time.

All of the emotions of the day came flooding back to Rose in that instant, the bandaid getting ripped off a too-fresh wound. How could she have less than seven months left? How could she have less than seven months left _with him_? How could she have less than seven months left with him and not spend _every single moment_ of that short time together?

Before her mind registered what her body was doing, Rose was out of bed and padding across her bedroom floor, lunging for the doorknob and running into the hallway.

"Doctor!" she called, voice cracking toward the end.

The Doctor, who was just a few feet down the hall, spun around when he heard the door open, question written across his face.

Rose could only stare at him, her breathing ragged as she fought to hold back the tears threatening her eyes. She began to walk toward him and he did the same, their paces increasing in velocity until they finally met with intensity.

Rose's hands wrapped around his neck at the same time the Doctor's arms tightened around her waist, pulling her against him and upward simultaneously, until only her toes touched the cool floor.

Gasping and choking back a small sob, Rose looked into the Doctor's eyes as the tears finally spilled from hers. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but no sound came out.

It was hard to think with the Doctor's face so close. Her hands gripped his neck like she was afraid she'd be torn from him at any moment.

Rose hardly recognized the Doctor's voice when he whispered her name and softly pressed his lips against hers. His arms tightened around her waist, crushing her chest to his and lifting her almost completely off the floor, but his kiss remained impossibly tender as his lips caressed hers.

The world spun around Rose in that moment and she wondered if this was it, that she had been sucked into the void after all. She whimpered quietly, trying to regain her bearings, and the noise seemed to rattle something within the Doctor.

In an instant his kiss became more needy, lips moving feverishly against Rose's, mouth sucking her top then her bottom lip between his own. It was when she felt the edges of his teeth on her skin that Rose came crashing back to reality - and what a lovely reality it was, clutched in the Doctor's arms while he devoured her with kisses.

Rose finally saw the chance to act on her fantasy and she parted her lips slightly, tongue darting out to taste his skin. A deep, rumbling sound grew in the Doctor's chest as he opened his mouth to her, their tongues crashing forward at the same time until they met with ferocity. Rose couldn't help the moan escaping from her mouth and flowing into his as he ran his tongue over hers, as she dove her fingers into the lush hair at the nape of his neck.

It was all too much, and yet not nearly enough as she continued to taste him, memorizing the feel of his tongue on hers, the smoothness of his cheek pressed beneath her nose, the double patter of his heart beats beneath her chest. Rose sighed again as her arms came to rest on the shoulders she had so recently massaged, as the Doctor's hands roamed the back he had so recently soothed.

She waited until she absolutely had to break free of his kiss to breathe, ducking her head beneath his chin as she gulped quick breaths of much-needed oxygen. The Doctor loosened his hold on her, lowering Rose to stand properly on the floor while he kept his arms firmly around her, hands rubbing soothing patterns on her back.

Rose pressed her forehead against his sternum and smiled, breathing in the familiar scent that reminded her of milky chai tea and autumn leaves. That reminded her of home.

"You should get some sleep Rose," the Doctor said quietly, breaking the contented silence.

"I want to be with you," Rose said, tightening her arms around his body as her breathing began to even out. Before, she would have rushed to clarify that statement, but now, after sharing such a soulful kiss, she hoped it conveyed everything she truly felt.

The Doctor didn't reply. Keeping an arm around her shoulder, he began to walk her back to her room. Once inside, the Doctor motioned for Rose to get back into bed.

She pouted, thinking about how she would have put up more of a fight had she not been so completely exhausted. Crawling beneath the sheets, Rose gathered and smoothed the duvet she had throw so hastily just moments ago.

Sitting up under the covers, Rose turned toward the Doctor, hoping for at least one more kiss before he said goodnight, and found him toeing his feet out of his trainers while he slipped off his suit jacket, folding it neatly and resting it at the foot of the bed as he had a couple hours ago in the other bedroom.

Rose smiled and shimmied over on the mattress as she realized his intent, pulling back the duvet so he could climb in with her. Once they were both settled beneath the blankets facing each other, Rose felt inexplicably shy, despite having just spent several moments exploring the Doctor's mouth with her tongue.

The look he had on his face when he turned to see her in the hallway was similar to the one he'd had when she had stretched beneath him on the other bed - except the latter was laced with sadness. Rose made a mental note to try to be more upbeat about the situation around the Doctor. There was no sense in kick-starting his guilt and misery early, after all.

The Doctor brought his hand forward and gently ran his thumb over Rose's cheek, rousing her from her thoughts. She smiled and cupped his face, softly brushing her lips against his once more.

"Night Doctor," she whispered, turning onto her side with her back towards him.

It wasn't long before his arm looped around her waist and pulled her in toward his chest, little spoon against his big.

"Night Rose," he breathed into her hair.

The last thing Rose thought before she fell asleep was that maybe it was all worth it, to get to spend a night with him like this.


	5. Chapter 5

Rose knew the Doctor was gone before she even opened her eyes.

Stretching, splaying her arms and legs wide under the covers, she confirmed his absence, while also revelling in the lack of tension in her muscles. That man certainly had a way with his hands.

Deep down, she'd known the Doctor wouldn't be there when she woke up - he only needed a few hours of sleep a night and it felt like she had slept for at least ten.

Rose ran her hand over her lips, smiling against her fingertips when she felt that they were still slightly swollen and a bit chapped, a reminder of their desperate hallway kiss. She waited to feel shocked by their bursting display of affection - such a far cry from the hugs and hand-holding they were used to - but it didn't come. It all just felt so right, like they were always heading here, like everything had been leading up to that moment all this time.

She tried not to think about the particular life-shattering revelation that lead them to that moment.

Instead, Rose decided to daydream, to allow her mind to linger in that moment before getting up to find the Doctor and discuss what had happened between them. He had seemed fine last night, contentedly cuddling with her as she fell asleep, but she had seem him emotionally seize up so many times before during far less intimate moments - she couldn't be certain he wouldn't return to his comfort zone of avoidance.

But in bed, as the TARDIS slowly brought the lights up in her room as it recognized her rousing state of consciousness, Rose played the kiss over in her mind again and again. She'd always guessed he'd be a great kisser, but the Doctor exceeded all of her expectations; the look in his eye as he pulled her into his arms, feel of his muscular chest crushed to hers, the slick slide of his tongue dragging along the roof of her mouth.

Rose couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she hadn't been so exhausted that she nodded off after a few minutes wrapped in his arms. That kiss stoked something in her, an ember that had been kindled by his massage earlier that day and, let's face it, that ember had been smouldering away since he was all ears and leather.

Tugging at the hem of her vest top, Rose imagined guiding the Doctor's hand beneath the fabric as they lay in bed spooning, hearing his breath hitch as she ran his fingers over the warm skin of her belly and along the slight ridges of her ribs. Rose hand followed the motions she imagined, swirling around her bellybutton before traveling higher.

He'd hesitate at first, uncertain, so Rose would push her bum against him, biting her lip when she felt him already hard against her lower back. This movement would bring his hands to life, ghosting over the undersides of her breasts as they made their way to her collarbone, long figures tracing the delicate feature before trailing lower to feel the weight of each breast.

Rose would sigh as he'd run his thumbs over her erect nipples, leaning into his hands in an effort to create more friction. At the sound of her voice he'd grind against her, pressing his cock into her lower back as his mouth latched on to her neck, planting wet open-mouthed kisses on her sensitive skin.

In the increasingly brightening bedroom, Rose kept her eyes shut tight as she pinched her nipples, imagining her hands were the Doctor's. It wasn't hard to do, considering the pillow next to her still smelled of him, and she soon felt the growing wetness between her thighs.

She inched her hands lower, skimming the waistband of her cotton shorts as she imagined the Doctors hand doing the same, skipping the area so needy for him and continuing to her legs, tracing tantalizingly light figure-eights on the insides of her thighs.

Whimpering, Rose would reach behind her, feeling him straining against the starchy fabric of his trousers. The Doctor would thrust against her palm before stilling so she could work at his fly, his teeth gently scraping the nape of her neck.

Rose slipped her hand beneath the elastic of her shorts as she'd like the Doctor's to, running her fingers over her damp knickers before pushing them aside and dipping into her folds. She moaned as her thumb brushed her clit swollen, turning her head against the pillow to muffle the noise - more out of habit than anything since the Doctor was likely tinkering away beneath the console, out of earshot from Rose's room.

She was surprised how turned on and sensitive she was - just from the thought of one little kiss - but Rose pushed those thoughts away, vowing to revisit them later, as she returned her mind to the situation literally at hand.

Concentrating, Rose envisioned the Doctor's fingers teasing her, sliding through her folds and circling her clit, before slipping inside her. She'd moan and arch back against him, her hand stilling around the base of his shaft inside his trousers.

_Please_, she'd pant, and he'd finally tug her shorts and knickers off, hands leaving her skin for a painstaking moment while he divested himself of his trousers. Rose's mouth would be waiting for him when he fell back onto the pillow, her head turned over her shoulder to capture his lips.

The Doctor would kiss her hungrily and messily, sending shivers down her spine despite the awkward angle, as he'd grip her hip and slowly thrust into her. Rose would cry out as he filled her, the sensation practically overwhelming as he began to move. They'd continue kissing until Rose could only gasp, turning her face against the pillow and gripping the back of his thigh as he continued to slam into her.

Even with her eyes closed Rose could tell the lights in her room were fully on, but she scarcely noticed as she frantically moved her fingers inside her, feeling incredibly close. Trailing her other hand down from her breast, Rose began to trace light circles on her clit, slowly increasing the pressure as she imagined the Doctor's rough fingers stroking her sensitive skin.

Slowly, her orgasm built and began to course through her, starting at her toes and rushing upward, enveloping her whole body as she writhed against her working fingers, the name on her lips muffled against the fluffy pillow.

Rose threw her arm over her eyes to block out the light as she gasped quick breaths of air, chest heaving as she slowly came down from pleasure. She laughed breathily in spite of herself, marveling at the things this Time Lord did to her. Or, in another sense, didn't do.

After lying still for a few moments Rose threw back the covers and sat in bed, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands.

"Alright, alright I'm up," she muttered cheerily at the TARDIS, sliding into her slippers and throwing her robe on before heading into the bathroom. She needed to talk with the Doctor, but not until after a long, hot shower.

It turned out the Doctor wasn't in the console room after all, but in the kitchen, humming to himself as he smeared raspberry jam on a thick slice of bread. Rose smoothed her hair as she lingered in the doorway before smiling to herself, knowing the Doctor didn't care about superficial things like that.

"Hi Doctor," she said, shooting a smile his way as she strode over to turn on the kettle.

"Morning sleepyhead!" he replied, beaming at her so brightly she let out a little sigh of relief. So he wasn't being weird, at least, that's good. "Want some jam on toast?"

"Ta," she said, smiling again shyly as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You want a cuppa?"

"Oh yes."

The two passed a few minutes in silence as they bustled about the kitchen, handing each other mugs, butter, plates, and sugar without needing to utter a word, used to preparing breakfast with each other as they were. Once everything was ready they sat kitty-corner from one another at the table, the Doctor grinning at Rose before he took a crunching bite of toast.

Rose blew on her hot tea, watching as ripples cascaded along the milky surface as she wondered how to broach the subject of last night. Taking a tentative sip of the hot drink, her eyes lingered on the Doctor's toast-free hand as it tapped out a peppy rhythm on the tabletop; she couldn't help but think about all the things she had imagined those fingers doing to her not too long ago.

"Were you thinking about last night?" the Doctor asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

"What?" Rose sputtered, just avoiding choking on her tea. Surely he couldn't know…

"You seem lost in thought and I just, well, it was a rather spectacular kiss, as far as unanticipated kisses go - and I've had quite a few unanticipated kisses in 900-odd years, mind you - though this one was particularly exuberant so I thought that, maybe, you were thinking about that?"

Rose gawked at the Doctor, amazed at the candor with which he was addressing the topic and at the fact that he had seemingly got that whole sentence out in one breath. She fought to find the right words to respond, but the better half of her vocabulary seemed to have fallen out of her head.

"Oh, right," the Doctor said as he noticed her hesitation, physically deflating. "I suppose you've had more spectacular kisses - of course you have, someone like you. Probably just got caught up in the moment and all that. Well, nevermind, let's change the subject! I was thinking about that whole blue/not-blue situation from the other day and I think we need a system to-"

"Doctor," Rose interrupted, closing her hand over his still-fidgeting fingers on the table. She waited until his eyes returned to hers before continuing. "I thought it was particularly exuberant too."

"Yeah?" he asked, a tentative grin slowly creeping across his face.

"Yes," she replied, squeezing his hand. "In fact, I was wondering…"

The Doctor took another large bite of toast, swallowing it down with a gulp of tea as he waited for Rose to finish her sentence before his curiosity and impatience won out.

"You were wondering what?" he nudged gently.

"If we could do it again sometime?" Rose asked, lowering her eyes to her tea once more as she suppressed the giggle building in her chest. She felt like a timid schoolgirl again, asking a boy to the cinema for the first time.

"Course!" he replied, mouth still full of toast, causing the giggle Rose thought she had successfully tucked away to spill forth, her laughter filling the room. "I can't believe you even had to ask such a thing - I thought it would be implicit, after last night."

"Nothing is implicit with you, Doctor," Rose said, tongue caught between her teeth.

The Doctor reached out with a sticky finger and smeared jam on her cheek, causing Rose to squeal in faux disgust. She left the smudge there as she tucked into her toast, suddenly famished now that she knew that things were alright between them. Well, better than alright - she had an open invitation to snog the Doctor!

"Now what's your solution to the blue/not blue situation?" Rose asked between mouthfuls of toast. "Might I suggest that next time, instead of 'not blue' you simply say 'red'?"

The two finished their meals in playful conversation, discussing the importance of specificity when fighting rogue aliens, while Rose's hand remained firmly clamped on the Doctor's.

When they were finished the two took their plates to the sink so the TARDIS could start on the washing up. Rose had just placed her empty mug in the basin when she felt the Doctor's hand on her back.

She turned to him, leaning against the counter and smiling, expecting another flimsy excuse for "not blue." He was smiling back, but something about the look in his eye reminded Rose about last night and her breath caught in her throat.

"Still have jam on your cheek," he stated, reaching out to brush it off with his fingers as Rose's breathing grew shallow. "There we go, all gone."

Despite successfully removing the jam from her skin, the Doctor's hand remained on her cheek, and Rose was sure her face was beginning to flush beneath his fingertips. He continued to gaze down at her and made no indication of moving, keeping her willingly trapped between his body and the countertop.

Feeling brazen, Rose lifted her hands to his back, sliding under his suit jacket to glide across the crisp fabric of his shirt. She held her breath, waiting for his lips to descend on hers, but despite the contented noise the Doctor made as her hands caressed his back, the kiss never came.

"Doctor?"

"Hmm?"

"Implicit…"

"Oh right."

The Doctor slowly shifted his hand cupping her cheek to tangle in her hair, gently angling her face upwards. Rose's breath caught again in a quiet gasp as the Doctor brought his face to hers, nuzzling his nose against her skin for a moment as he seemed to drink the moment in.

"You're beautiful," he murmured, hot breath flowing over Rose's lips as he finally covered her mouth with his.

As desperate as last night's kiss was, this one rivaled it in its quietness. The Doctor gently pressed his lips to hers, thumb lightly brushing her cheekbone as his fingers gripped her locks.

Rose sighed and tightened her arms around his back as they both began to move their lips, taking a moment to find their rhythm. It was calm and sweet, without even a hint of tongue, and Rose took the opportunity to really pay attention to the feel of his full bottom lip, to his soft breath against her cheek, to the movements of the fingers on his other hand, which he used to cradle and caress her back.

"'S nice," Rose murmured when their lips parted momentarily, taking the opportunity to fill her lungs with air.

"Mm," the Doctor agreed before capturing her lips once more, seemingly content to kiss her tenderly against the kitchen counter until the end of time.

"Could be less nice," Rose purred at her next opportunity, bringing one hand up to grip the hair at the nape of his neck. The Doctor chuckled, never moving his lips off hers.

"Minx."

Rose tugged lightly on his hair to spur him on and grinned as the move was successful, laughing playfully as the Doctor pressed his lips more firmly into hers. He caught her bottom lip between his teeth and she gasped, the Doctor taking advantage of her open mouth by covering it with his and plunging his tongue inside.

This is how Rose liked it; hot and breathy and insatiable. She moaned as their tongues collided, her veins set alight at the memory of their fiery kiss last night. This kiss was different, though; less about need and more about _want_, less compassion and more _desire_.

Rose gasped again as the Doctor's hands gripped her thighs, easily lifting her to sit on the countertop. She quickly parted her legs and, when he hesitated, tugged on his trouser belt loops until he stepped between them and began kissing her again.

She wanted so badly to inch her hips closer to feel if he was hardening, desperate to know if the Doctor had any intent beyond snogging her senseless, but based on the hesitancy he just displayed she decided it was better to go slow for now.

Besides, it was nice to kiss him just for the sake of it, and not as a means to an end.

Their feverish kisses slowly died down until they were giving each other light pecks on the lips, smile meeting smile.

"I could get used to that," the Doctor said quietly, planting one final kiss on Rose's forehead as he enveloped her in a hug. "Wanted to do that for ages. Kiss you, I mean."

"You have?" Rose asked, flabbergasted at how freely her often emotionally stunted Time Lord was sharing his feelings. "I've wanted to, too. For ages. And ages."

"Since when?" he asked quizzically.

"Guess!" Rose giggled, tightening her arms around him, planning on never moving from this hug.

"Krop Tor?"

"Nope!"

"New Earth!"

"Nuh-uh."

"Satellite Five?"

"You should think a little bit closer to home, Doctor," Rose laughed as the Doctor groaned. "Give up? Well, it was the day after we met in the shop basement, yeah? You tracked the arm of the living plastic mannequin back to my flat, rapped your knuckles on my forehead to make sure I wasn't plastic too."

"You wanted to kiss me because I knocked you on the head?" he asked skeptically. "Maybe I hit you a little too hard."

"Hey!" Rose scolded, running her fingers along his ribs as punishment, smiling as he squirmed. "It was right before then. You just gave me this… this look. Made everything freeze, like time was standing still. Was that the moment for you, or…?"

"Nah," he replied, and Rose could feel one of his hands leave her back to pull at his ear. "Before then, actually."

"How much before?" she laughed incredulously. "We'd just met!"

"Well, yeah, that's about right," the Doctor replied, somewhat sheepishly. "I've felt like this since we met. Since you took my hand."

"Oh," Rose said dumbly, at a loss for words thinking of how much time they'd wasted not being together like this. She couldn't help but wonder if it was the knowledge that their time was limited that finally gave him the courage to act on his feelings.

"We're a bit daft, aren't we?" he laughed as Rose nuzzled into his neck.

"Yeah," she said happily, pushing those thoughts aside for now. "A bit."

The Doctor and Rose decided to lay low for the next few days, spending most of their time on the TARDIS while occasionally popping out to some planet or another for a bite to eat. And while they continued to spend some time in the storage room bedroom at Rose's behest, the reasoning behind it went unspoken, both acting as if it was something they normally did just because.

Something they _didn't_ normally do made it easy to keep their mind off of Rose's looming fate, however; and that was snog.

They liked to snog after breakfast as they had that first morning, each tasting of toast and tea and jam. They snogged in the wardrobe, knocking down a whole rack of clothes as the Doctor blindly sought some surface to press Rose against, winding up kissing atop a soft pile of Victorian petticoats. And they snogged in the storage room bedroom, too, Rose sitting on her vanity table as the Doctor joked that they had to be careful not to let the mascara tube fall, lest all of space and time implode.

Despite the frequency with which they kissed, each time was a surprise, leaving Rose with a constant tribe of butterflies fluttering about inside her stomach. She had never been happier and couldn't believe what a relief it was, finally being able to act on her feelings for the Doctor, to be allowed to touch his face and lips and hair and arms and shoulders and back.

Of course, she wanted to touch more of him and with less layers between her fingertips and his skin, but she was grateful for this new development; and was certain she would be perfectly happy even if their physical relationship didn't progress, provided he left her alone so she could touch herself each night.

A part of her did wish he would spend the night, though. She had never slept so soundly as she had after falling asleep in his arms, feeling his twin heartbeats behind her back. The Doctor would walk her to her bedroom every night - her proper room - and give her a kiss before turning back to the console, or his study, or wherever he spent the hours he wasn't with her.

Each night Rose yearned to invite him in but never did, not wanting to test the new boundaries they had tenuously drawn.

One afternoon the Doctor and Rose were cuddling on the large chaise lounge in the library, Rose resting her chin on his chest while the Doctor thumbed through the pile of books set on a nearby table.

"Will you read something to me?" Rose asked, playing with one of the buttons on his shirt.

"Sure!" he replied, placing the book down and stroking Rose's hair. "What would you like to hear?"

"Hmm," she pondered, mentally scrolling through her favorite books whose words she would like to hear caressed by the Doctor's voice. "Do you have 'A Little Princess'? It was my favorite when I was little."

"Erm," the Doctor replied, either scanning a mental card catalogue of his own or telepathically asking the TARDIS if they had that title - Rose couldn't be sure which. "'Fraid not."

"What!" Rose whined. "How could you not have that? It's a classic."

"Sorry!" the Doctor laughed. "The TARDIS library is not well stocked on 20th century Earth children's literature. Now, 57th century Skywarkian battle epics, those we have in droves."

Rose huffed and the Doctor planted a kiss on her forehead.

"What's 'A Little Princess' about?" he asked, hand moving from her hair to run up and down her arm, giving Rose gooseflesh. "Maybe we can pick it up the next time we stop by your flat."

"It's about a little girl named Sara who grew up in India and she had everything - lovely father, lovely life," Rose began, smiling, happy to talk about her favorite book and to have a distraction for the Doctor's long fingers running along her skin. "When she was old enough she was sent to boarding school in England and was the brightest girl there, as well as had the best dolls and the most beautiful dresses."

Rose sighed and hugged the Doctor closer, swept up in the story she had read so many times.

"But then her father dies and leaves her penniless, with no money to pay for the expensive boarding school. So the headmistress, this truly awful woman, allows Sara to stay and work as a servant, tidying up after the girls who used to be her friends."

"That sounds dreadful," the Doctor scoffed. "Such an upsetting book for a child to read - how can you like it so much?"

"That's just the thing," Rose laughed, fighting back the tears as she remembered her most beloved character. "Sara's life was awful, she had everything taken from her, but she carried on. She was still so kind, caring for the other servant girl. She was alone in the world, separated from her home and everyone she once knew, but she did the best she could with what she had. She never gave up."

The Doctor hugged Rose tighter at the emotion he heard in her voice and delivered another kiss atop her hair.

"That does sound like a lovely story, Rose," he said. "I'd love to read it with you sometime."

"Good," she said, smiling.

Just then Rose's mobile ringtone began to go off, making both her and the Doctor jump.

"You carry that around with you on the TARDIS?" he asked, faking affrontation, likely trying to cover for his nervous action.

"You never know when mum might call!" Rose retorted, sitting up as she pulled the phone out of her pocket and glanced at the screen. "Ah ha - just as I suspected."

"Hi mum!" Rose said cheerily, giving the Doctor a wink before her brow began to furrow.

"Hang on, what?" she said, frowning as she stood up and began to pace. "This bloke cozied up to you and then you found a photo of the Doctor and me in his pocket?" The Doctor sat up on the chaise, straining to hear Jackie's side of the conversation.

"It's okay mum, we're fine. We'll find this guy and sort it out. What's his name?" Rose nodded as she listened to her mum, running a hand through her hair. "Okay, we'll set it all straight, don't worry. Love you. Bye."

The Doctor stood and looked questioningly at Rose as she pressed the 'call end' button on her mobile.

"Right," she said, facing the Doctor with a determined look on her face. "We've got to find some arsehole named Elton."


	6. Chapter 6

Rose settled into the captain's chair as the Doctor moved about the console, setting the coordinates to bring them back into space. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding as she felt the ship take off, leaving her mum's flat behind.

It had been harder than usual to say goodbye this time, having stopped by to let her mum know that they'd sorted everything with Elton and that misshapen alien from Klom.

She thought her mum would be glad to learn Elton was out of her hair for good, that he was being manipulated by an evil alien and hadn't actually meant them any harm at all. As Rose and the Doctor regaled her with the tale of how the alien had met his demise, how quickly he was absorbed into the earth, how they had saved Elton's girlfriend – well, sort of – Rose noticed the strain in Jackie's smile.

"I was just thinking about how it was nice to have someone around the flat again, I suppose," Jackie said when Rose asked her what was wrong. "It gets lonely here, you know, without you around. And now that Mickey's gone I don't have anyone to call to fix the leaky sink and then play a game of cards over pizza afterwards."

Rose scooted closer to her mum on the couch and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"But you have loads of friends, mum," she smiled. "I know any one of them would be over here to help out at the drop of a hat, you just need to say the word."

"I know, sweetheart, but there's friends and then there's family – and that's you and Mick," Jackie replied, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Rose's ear. "I'm not saying I want you to stop traveling or anything. I can see how happy you are and that means the world to me. Just explaining why I got so wrapped up with Elton in the first place, that's all."

Leaning back in the console chair, Rose distractedly began to take the plaits out of her hair as she mulled over her mum's words. She mentally kicked herself for not even considering how her absence would affect her mother, when whatever happens in less than seven months comes to pass. She had been so wrapped up in her blossoming relationship with the Doctor that she had almost forgotten about the looming hourglass, sand quickly filling up the bottom basin.

"There we are!" the Doctor exclaimed as he turned from the console, jostling Rose from her thoughts. "What do you say, fancy a trip somewhere? I was thinking we could pop over to Solisortus to visit their sunrise celebr-"

The Doctor stopped short, finally noticing the look on Rose's face as she dabbed at her tears with the sleeve of her jumper.

"What's wrong?" he asked, brow furrowing as he smoothed the last trace of wetness away with his thumb.

"Was just thinking about mum, how she'll be all alone after I'm gone," she sniffed, lifting her head upward in an attempt to keep any more tears from spilling from her eyes. "She's already so lonely."

"Rose, look at me," the Doctor said kindly, cupping her face in his hands. "You don't have to worry about that - I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Rose laughed and shook her head as much as she could while in his hold.

"You keep saying that, Doctor, but I just have this feeling," she paused, taking in a shaky breath. "Promise me you'll look after her, stop by every now and then, okay? You're family, too."

The Doctor swallowed and shook his head, thumbs caressing Rose's cheeks.

"It's not going to come to that."

"Humor me?" she pleaded, voice barely a whisper, lifting her hands to his wrists.

"I promise," he said solemnly, before leaning down and kissing her deeply.

After a moment Rose wrapped her arms around his back and nuzzled her face against his chest, breathing in the comforting scent that was pure _Doctor_.

"What were you saying before?" she asked, voice muffled by his shirt. "Sunrise celebration?"

"Oh, yes!" he said excitedly. "The sunrise celebration on Solisortus is spectacular!"

The fervor in the Doctor's voice faded, however, when he heard Rose stifle a yawn against his shirt.

"But, you've had a hard day Rose," he continued. "You should get some rest."

"I do feel a bit knackered, but I'd love to see that - sounds like a great distraction. Tomorrow?" she asked, hopping off the chair and looping her arm through the Doctor's as he nodded emphatically. "Walk me to my room?"

As they made their nightly pilgrimage to her bedroom, Rose felt the butterflies swirling in her stomach and wondered what had her nerves so worked up. When they paused in front of her door and the Doctor gave her a light kiss before turning to leave, she realized why.

"Will you stay with me for a bit?" Rose blurted, the words leaving her mouth before she'd hardly had a chance to register them.

The Doctor hesitated, running his palm over the back of his neck, and Rose hastened to clarify her request.

"Just hold me?"

The Doctor thought for a moment and then nodded, reaching for Rose's hand and following her into the bedroom. He sat on the bed while Rose gathered her pajamas and headed into the bathroom to brush her teeth, wash her face, and change out of her clothes.

When she came back into the room, Rose saw the Doctor had removed his shoes, jacket, and buttondown shirt, leaving him in just his trousers and a white t-shirt. She couldn't stop her eyes from following the curve of his bicep, a muscle of his she couldn't remember ever seeing before.

The Doctor was standing beside the bed facing away from her, pulling back the covers so they could slip inside. He turned to face her, grinning, and Rose sputtered, realizing they hadn't spoken a word since they had entered her bedroom and suddenly not knowing what to say.

"I like you without makeup," he said, holding up the covers and gesturing to Rose to get in bed. "I like you with makeup too, of course, but this is only the second time I've seen you without."

"Is it?" Rose asked, climbing onto the bed, glad his gob had avoided an awkward silence.

"Yep," he replied, settling on the mattress after her. "First time was last week, that night in the hallway, when we, erm…"

"Kissed?" Rose offered, tongue touching the back of her teeth as she shook her head at him.

She wondered why he was suddenly shy to say the word - he was the one to so colorfully describe the kiss the next morning, after all. Then she realized it was probably because they were inches away from each other in bed, wearing half their normal amount of clothes.

"Kissed," he echoed, running a hand through his hair as he seemed to mull something over before pressing his lips to hers.

Rose rolled from her side onto her back, resting her head against the pillow to give them a better angle. The Doctor followed her movements, leaning over her with one forearm resting on the mattress on each side of her body, effectively caging her in. The position also gave Rose the perfect opportunity to run her fingers over the biceps she had admired earlier, feeling the curve and swell of his muscles before gripping them tightly.

It was around the time the Doctor licked Rose's bottom lip that she realized asking him into her room had been a terrible idea. He would snog her senseless, as he always did, only this time when they were done he would stay with her, holding her until she fell asleep, eliminating the chance for Rose to give herself relief from a days worth of pent up sexual frustration.

As the Doctor's tongue slid into her mouth, Rose unsuccessfully tried to bite back a moan, the twinge between her legs intensifying. She thought she heard the Doctor hum appreciatively against her mouth, too, but Rose was too preoccupied with ending the kiss to really notice.

The Doctor blinked at her as she pulled away suddenly, eyebrows knit in confusion since he was normally the one to gently break their kiss.

"Think I'm gonna sleep now," Rose squeaked quickly, pecking the Doctor on the cheek before rolling onto her side with her back to him. "Night."

"Goodnight Rose,"he replied as the lights began to dim, sounding a bit confused.

The Doctor arranged himself behind Rose, tucking his knees into the bend of hers and wrapping his arm around her waist, reminding her of the way they'd laid the night after their first kiss; reminding her of the things she'd imagined the morning after.

Rose clenched her eyes shut, willing herself to fall swiftly asleep as another wave of arousal swept through her. To make matters worse, the Doctor's hand rested gently on her belly, his pinky finger touching exposed skin where her vest top had bunched up. Rose took a few deep breaths to stop herself from whimpering.

After several unsuccessful minutes of trying to command her body to sleep, Rose was beginning to think of ways to get the Doctor out of her bed - could she telepathically ask the TARDIS to start a fire in the console room? - when she felt his lips on her neck.

"Rose?" he murmured against her skin, the sensation making her humming flesh shiver.

"Yeah?" she choked out, swallowing thickly.

"Let me help."

"What?" she breathed, her voice barely audible. Oh god, did he know? Could he sense her pheromones in the air, feel the hormones coursing through her blood beneath his fingertips, smell the pooling wetness between her legs?

As if to answer her silent questions, the Doctor began to run his fingers along her lower abdomen, dipping just under her vest so he was touching only skin. Rose shuddered again and bit her lip, feeling a strange combination of aroused and embarrassed.

"Please," he said quietly, propping himself on one elbow and kissing the side of her neck. "You'll never sleep like this."

Rose didn't know how to respond so she rolled onto her back and pulled his head to hers, capturing his lips as a means to consent to whatever sort of relief he was offering. Any feeling of embarrassment soon dissipated as the Doctor's hand continued caresses Rose's stomach and hips, his thumb brushing against the waistline of her cotton shorts.

She was suddenly filled with the need to touch him - all of him - and wrapped her arms around his back as she continued to kiss him fiercely, nails scraping along the fabric of his shirt as she moved her hands lower, intent on finding hot skin under the hem.

The Doctor reduced Rose to clenching his soft shirt in her fists, however, when he began to tug her shorts down her legs.

"Doctor," Rose protested, wrenching her lips from his as she tried again to slide her hands under his shirt. "I want-"

"Shh," he said, kissing a line up her jaw before pausing to meet her hooded eyes. "Remember when you noticed my sore neck and gave me a massage? This is like that, yeah? Just relax."

Rose thought this situation was in no way like that, not even a little bit, but she nodded anyway, already feeling the absence of his fingers and lips on her skin. She brought her hands to rest on his shoulders and the Doctor made a satisfied noise before lowering his mouth to her neck.

As he gently sucked and lapped at her skin there, his hand glided between her thighs, caressing her hot skin and nudging her legs apart. Rose whimpered, finding it harder and harder to stay quiet under this assault.

She couldn't believe this was actually happening, that the Doctor was touching her in all these new places, that it was his idea. Rose didn't buy his massage metaphor for one second - the passion with which he was touching her far surpassed a friendly act of helpfulness.

When the Doctor finally drew his fingers over Rose's soaked knickers, she couldn't help a soft moan escaping from her lips at the sensation of him finally touching her there after years of only fantasies.

Rose felt the Doctor let out a heavy breath - as if he had been holding it - as his fingers teased her mercilessly, brushing against the fabric over her folds and tracing around her clit, but never quite touching where she needed him.

She was gripping his shoulders now, breathing in sharp pants as she silently willed him to continue; had she been in her right mind, Rose would have explained to him that lately all she needed in the way of foreplay was a kiss and a cuddle from him.

Luckily the Doctor seemed to understand and he pulled her knickers off as he kissed across her collarbone before latching on to the other side of her neck.

"Oh Rose," he breathed against her skin as his fingers gently explored her labia, quickly growing slick from her fluids.

Rose made a needy sound at the back of her throat and felt the Doctor's teeth scrape against her neck. She rewarded him with a louder moan, hoping to turn him on with the sound of her arousal.

Rose wanted nothing more than to drag her fingers down his chest and lower, to feel for his erection hard against her hand, but she kept her fingers clamped on his shoulders, worried that any movement would make him stop touching her.

She did, however, whisper, "Kiss me," and he obliged, messily meeting her lips as he finally slid two fingers into her. Rose moaned loudly into his mouth, battling his tongue with hers as her hands migrated on their own to tangle in his hair.

The Doctor didn't seem to mind, though, thrusting his fingers into Rose's wet heat before sliding them forward to trace the outskirts of her clit, repeating the action again and again. Rose ground her hips against his hand, yearning for more pressure, eventually breaking free of his kiss as she felt the familiar tension begin to coil in the pit of her stomach.

Adding a third finger as he plunged into her, the Doctor rubbed his thumb over her clit in slow circles, finally making direct contact with the small bundle of nerves. Rose arched against his hand with a moan, opening her eyes for a moment as she searched for where his lips had gone.

She found his face inches from hers just watching her, his features soft and jaw slack as it had been when he kneeled over her after giving her that massage. If Rose's brain had been functioning on a level high enough to assign a word to that look, she would have labeled it as _enthralled_.

She soon clamped her eyes shut again as the coil within her tightened, every muscle in her body stretched taught.

"Come for me Rose," the Doctor murmured as his fingers increased the pressure and speed of their movements.

At the sound of his voice Rose finally teetered over the edge of the abyss, writhing on the mattress as her chest tightened and her breath caught in a soundless scream before breaking down into panting sobs.

The Doctor's hand gently slowed to a stop as she swore breathily, releasing her death grip on his neck - it seemed she had dug her nails into his skin. He chuckled quietly, a sound that took Rose a few moments to register.

"What?" she asked, breathing still uneven.

"Quite the mouth you have, Rose Tyler."

"Quite the hand you have," she replied, nudging his ribs with her elbow, forgetting any embarrassment she'd once felt.

"Fightin' hand," he replied, and though her eyes were still shut tight Rose was sure he was grinning.

Now that there was less at stake, Rose rolled onto her side and met the Doctor's eye, exchanging a smile with him as she brought her lips to his in a tender kiss. Slowly, she dragged her hand down his chest and abdomen, wanting to repay the favor, but he caught it just before she reached the buckle of his belt.

Rose broke their kiss and leaned back to look at him.

"I want to touch you," she said quietly.

"Not tonight," he said, kissing the palm of her hand. "All that was so you could get to sleep - I can tell how tired you are."

"I can sleep tomorrow."

"We've got to get up early for the sunrise celebration, remember?"

"Isn't this a time machine?"

"Oh, you humans and your questions."

Rose sighed and rolled her eyes at him as she gave up and flopped back onto the mattress, her eyes indeed feeling heavy as soon as her head hit the pillow. The Doctor laid on his stomach next to her, chin nestled on her shoulder as he draped his arm across her waist.

"You looked so beautiful, Rose," he whispered as she finally drifted off to sleep. "You're always beautiful, but that - that was gorgeous."

Not two minutes after Rose had slowly begun to float up from sleep the next morning did she hear a light rapping at her door. It was the Doctor with two steaming mugs in hand.

"Morning," he said cheerily, stepping into the room after Rose had called for him to come in. "Thought I'd bring you a cuppa."

Rose smiled and thanked him, wondering if he realized just how domestic they were getting lately - next he would be bringing her breakfast in bed.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, handing her a mug and standing next to the bed.

"Brilliant, thanks," Rose replied, sitting up against the plush pillows.

It was then that everything they did last night started coming back to her - or, more specifically, everything _he_ did to _her_. Remembering that she still wasn't wearing knickers, Rose pulled the duvet higher against her chest with one hand while the other brought the tea to her lips.

"Mm," she said weakly, hoping he didn't notice the blush spreading across her cheeks. "It's perfect."

"Good!" he replied, rocking from toe to heel as he took a sip from his banana mug. "So, are you still up for Solisortus?"

"Yeah, course!" Rose replied, glad for the much needed distraction the trip would provide. "I'll just take a quick shower and I'll be good to go."

"Excellent," the Doctor grinned, leaning against the vanity. "Be sure to bring your camera - there are some wonderful sights. And dress lightly, it's warm there this time of year."

"Will do," Rose said, taking another sip of tea as her free hand subtly searched for her shorts under the duvet with no luck. Sighing, she placed the mug down on her nightstand and decided to bite the bullet.

"Doctor, I really need to pee," she said, almost giggling at the confused look on his face at her statement. "And… I still haven't got pants on."

"Oh, right," he replied, jumping up from the vanity so quickly some tea splashed over the rim of his mug. "Right, I'll just wait for you in the console then. Whenever you're ready."

Rose let out a heavy sigh of relief as he finally shut the door behind him, throwing her one last smile over his shoulder. He didn't seem at all embarrassed about last night - but why should he? - she was the one who melted into his touch, who dug her nails into his skin, who came so quickly from only his fingers.

Rose sank back against the pillows as her mind began to replay the moments, but she quickly snapped herself out of it - she needed to get ready, and she truly did have to wee.

As the hot water washed over her in the shower, Rose wondered what this change in intimacy meant. She prayed it wasn't a one-off - she _needed_ him to do that again - but, more than that, she wanted to be able to touch him as well.

Stepping out of the shower and wrapping a fluffy white towel around her, Rose wiped her palm along the steamy mirror and saw the bright red marks the Doctor had created on each side of her neck. Marks that were made, not in the name of giving her release, but from the Doctor's own enjoyment. She smiled, running her fingers over the bruised skin, glad to have a physical remnant of last night.

Rose remembered the sound of the Doctor's voice when he finally touched her there, when he felt how wet she was for him, and realized he must have wanted more, too, despite not letting her feel him. She couldn't help but wonder if it was a defense mechanism, if he was subconsciously still trying to keep her at arm's length so it wouldn't hurt as much when she was gone.

Flipping through the summer clothes in her wardrobe, Rose decided on a backless purple and gold sundress that she typically wore without a bra - she'd have to talk to the Doctor about his intimacy issues eventually, but it wouldn't hurt to taunt him in the meantime.

She slipped into the dress, selected some matching sandals that she could run in, if need be, and brushed her still-damp hair into a ponytail. She decided to keep the makeup light today after the Doctor's comments from last night, applying some tinted moisturizer to her face, brushing just a bit of mascara on her lashes, and dabbing a touch of gloss on her lips.

Rose grabbed a pair of sunglasses and her camera - sort of a high-definition alien Polaroid - and skipped out the door to find the Doctor.

Gripping the Doctor's hand and settling her sunglasses on the bridge of her nose, Rose smiled as he began to push the TARDIS door open, excited for their first real adventure in a week.

She was taken aback, however, when the two stepped outside into near total darkness.

"How can they have a sunrise celebration without any sun?" Rose asked disappointedly, pushing her sunglasses up to rest on her hair.

"I landed us here before the sunrise - watching it rise is the best part," the Doctor chuckled.

While he was punching in the coordinates to Solisortus earlier, the Doctor had explained that the Solissi were a gifted people, each with a varying degree of psychic foresight. This meant they could peer into the future - some looking ahead just a few days, while other could see months, even years down the line.

But the particularly fascinating part, the Doctor said, was that a portion of the population chose to ignore the gift, mentally shutting out any glimpses into the future in order to live in relative ignorance, believing it to be a happier way of life. For the most part the two groups lived harmoniously but separately, only coming together twice a year - for the sunrise and sunset celebrations.

Due to Solisortus' incredibly slow rotation on its axis, the inhabited side of the planet spent half of the year in complete darkness and half of the year in total light. Naturally, the sunrise celebration was the most jubilant of the two as the Solissi welcomed the sun back to their lives.

The Doctor lead Rose down a dusty path and soon a sprawling fair came into view - row after rows of tents and stalls lit with numerous torches, bonfires, and what must be miles of fairy lights. There were crowds of people spilling in from paths that the Doctor said lead to a nearby town, browsing the many vendors that had set up shop in the fair.

"Oh, this is lovely!" Rose said, clutching the Doctor's arm as she took in the scene. "I can practically feel the anticipation in the air. Do their different garments mean anything?"

"Good eye," the Doctor replied, smiling at her proudly. "Those wearing the brightly colored tunics are the Unknowings - those who choose not to see the future. And those in the more conservative togas are the Insightful - those who look into the future at will."

"Can they change it?" Rose asked suddenly, eyes scanning the crowd. "If they know their futures, does that mean they can change what's going to happen?"

"Erm, no," the Doctor replied, tugging on his ear. "Each of the Solissi's timelines is fixed - nothing can be changed."

"Think I'd rather be an Unknowing," Rose said quietly, realizing just how close to home this civilization was hitting. She noticed the sad look on the Doctor's face and decided to change the subject. "So, Doctor, do the Solissi make any good sweets? We haven't had afters in days!"

"Yes!" he grinned. "Oh Rose, you have to try them - there's this whipped blue rice pastry drizzled in honey and…"

Rose happily listened to the Doctor describe all the treats they'd have to try as they made their way into the din of the fair. It was certainly easy to forget about her looming fate when surrounded by a crowd filled with smiling faces.

The Doctor tried to buy them two packets of jumpingbean toffee - "It's absolutely delicious, Rose, promise!" - when he realized the Solissi recently changed their laws and no longer accepted credits. The vendor helpfully told the Doctor where he could exchange his currency and the Doctor jogged off in that direction after making Rose pinky-promise not to wander off.

Rose perused the nearby stalls, fingering the beautifully woven cloth the Doctor told her the planet was known for, and snapped a few photos with her camera. She noticed some of those dressed in dull togas were giving her strange looks, sad eyes lingering on her face as they walked by, but she brushed it off, thinking she must seem out of place in her dual-colored dress.

"Ironic that I'm dressed closest to an Unknowing," she laughed quietly to herself.

It was then that a little girl in dark plaits and a sand-colored toga walked shyly up to Rose and took her hand.

"Hi there," Rose smiled, kneeling down to be face to face with the girl. "Are you lost?"

"He can't change it," the girl said somberly.

"W-what?" Rose stuttered, suddenly feeling short of breath.

"He'll try, but it won't help," the little girl continued. "He can't change it."

With that the girl gave the stunned Rose a quick hug before running off, disappearing into the dense crowd.


	7. Chapter 7

The crowd seemed to part around the Doctor as he strode across the fair toward Rose, crisp stack of white notes in hand. Rose took a deep breath and smiled at him as he got closer, trying her best to shake off the residual chills she felt from little girl's ominous message.

"Turns out the exchange rate from credits to solar bills is quite favorable," he grinned, handing Rose the majority of the pile of notes.

She forced a smile, examining the money — which was plain, aside from the number denoting its denomination and some sun-shaped watermarks — while she fought to regain her composure.

_He'll try, but it won't help. He can't change it._

Rose noticed that the warning wasn't focused on her death, but on the Doctor's attempt to stop it. The thought of him trying and failing, of the way he'd blame himself afterwards, mourning in her bedroom, made her want to cry right then and there. Rose finally understood why old dogs on the estate, sensing their time was up, would sneak off to die in an alleyway or under a stairwell — somewhere those who loved them couldn't see.

She was yanked from her gloomy thoughts by none other than the Doctor, who had suddenly wrapped his arms around her and enveloped her in a tight hug, her toes lifting off the ground. Rose couldn't help but grin, squeezing him hard as he swayed her body back and forth a few times before setting her back on the ground.

"What was that for?" she asked, keeping her arms on his waist. Remembering her promise to herself to remain upbeat around the Doctor, to make the time they had left together as happy as possible, Rose pushed the worried thoughts to the back of her mind.

"Oh, I dunno," he said, shrugging coyly as he moved his hands from her shoulders to cup her face. "Missed you."

"You were hardly gone five minutes," Rose laughed, nuzzling her cheek against one of his hands.

"Well, if you listened to anything I've taught you, Rose," he replied with a tone of jovial superiority. "You'd know that time is relative."

Rose only giggled in response as the Doctor pressed his lips to hers, the music and chatter of the crowd fading away as her world narrowed to where he was touching her; his mouth on her lips, his hands caressing her face, his hips lightly nudging her waist.

Wrapping her arms tightly around the Doctor's back, Rose leaned into him and flicked her tongue across the seam of his lips as the thoughts of last night flooded her mind. She sighed into his mouth as she imagined them back in her bed, his lips on her skin, that look in his eyes, the feel of his fingers inside her.

She felt the Doctor begin to grind his hips against hers when he pulled back suddenly, Rose whining quietly at the loss. His hands, which had returned on her shoulders, moved to her neck, long fingers tracing the lingering love bites he had created the night before.

Rose studied his face as he seemed to appraise her skin, before letting his hands drop and shoving them into his pockets. It took a moment before she could assign an emotion to his look — _pride_.

"Right then," the Doctor said, clearing his throat loudly. "Shall we go purchase some pastries?"

Rose nodded, slipping her arm through his as they headed back in the direction of the stall selling the jumpingbean toffee.

The toffee was delicious, just as the Doctor had promised, as was the appleberry ice-crumble, a matcha-flavored foam, and the Doctor's favorite — the banana-lemon suncakes.

The Doctor spent the remainder of his solar bills on the suncakes, purchasing an entire tray that he shoved into his transdimension pocket. ("You never know when we'll be back here, Rose!)

Rose could sense the anticipation mounting among the crowd as she browsed the artisan stalls, all filled with items made from the beautifully woven fabric. She chose a gorgeous gold scarf covered in tiny hand-stitched suns and moons, handing over the remainder of her bills and pocketing the change as she noticed the Doctor slyly sneaking another suncake out of his pocket and nibbling on it.

"Just don't come moaning to me when you get a belly ache," Rose winked at him, wrapping the light scarf around her neck.

The Doctor mumbled something about superior Time Lord digestive bacteria as he shoved the rest of cake into his mouth. Rose grinned at him, wetting her thumb and wiping a smudge of icing from the corner of his mouth, just barely stopping herself from grabbing his face and licking the confection from his skin.

She brought her thumb to her mouth, wrapping her lips around it and sucking the sticky sugar from her fingertip as the Doctor watched slack-jawed. Suddenly his hand gripped her waist, roughly pulling her to him, causing Rose's breath to catch in her throat. She dropped her finger from her mouth, grasping the lapel of his jacket for purchase as her knees grew weak from the fiery look in his eyes.

That's when the crowd began to scream.

All around them, the Intuitives began to frantically flee from the fairgrounds, knocking over anything and anyone in their way. Soon the Unknowings began to follow suit, swept up in the Intutivies' panic.

"What's happening?" Rose yelled over the screams, still gripping the Doctor's jacket so she wouldn't be knocked over and trampled by the crowd.

The Doctor wrapped one arm tightly around Rose's waist and reached into the swarming masses to grab the collar of a fleeing Intuitive with his free hand.

"What's happening?" he barked at the man. "What do you see?"

"An explosion!" the man yelled, desperately trying to free himself from the Doctor's strong hold. "The fair, it's going to blow up before the sun rises!"

The Doctor released the man's shirt and he stumbled, quickly recovering and disappearing among the escaping crowd. Gently prying Rose's hand from his jacket, the Doctor gripped her fingers in his own.

"We've got to make a run for it," he said, dropping his arm from her waist. "No matter what, don't let go of my hand."

Rose nodded and they were off, sprinting through the frenzied masses as the Doctor lead the way, effectively paving a path for Rose behind him. Aside from a few elbows to the ribcage and a near miss with a blow to the head, Rose reached the calmer outskirts of the fairgrounds unharmed. The Doctor, she suspected, wasn't as lucky, but he hid any pain he may have been feeling.

"Are you alright?" he asked, gripping her chin as he solemnly examined her face from every angle before feeling her pulse at her wrist and then running the sonic over the length of her body for good measure.

"Yeah, I'll just have a few bruises come morning," Rose breathed, unsettled from what she'd just seen. "We're lucky — some people were getting trampled."

"Sometimes the panic caused by a stampeding crowd is worse than the source of the panic itself," the Doctor replied distractedly — satisfied Rose was unharmed his eyes had begun scanning the trees above them.

For the first time, Rose noticed the fairground was in a vast clearing that seemed to be in the middle of a thick forest. As she followed the Doctor's gaze, she noticed the tall, slim trees had smooth, white bark – the same bright color of the solar bills – and were completely leafless, save for a few early buds on the spindly branches. The trees, like the Solissi, must be waiting for the sun to arrive.

"I don't understand what just happened," Rose said, keeping her hand locked on the Doctor's arm in case any of the remaining trickling stampeders headed their way. "The Intuitives, you said some of them know things months, even years in advance — why didn't they see this coming?"

The Doctor pointed the sonic screwdriver skyward as he moved it along the tree line, tongue caught between his teeth in concentration.

"Some sort of tech must be jamming the psychic field, blocking the Solissi from seeing that specific moment in time," he replied, focusing the sonic on a nearby cluster of trees. "Whatever it is, it has to be placed somewhere high in order to get the necessary range — bingo!"

The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand and they were off again, running in the direction of the trees with Rose struggling to keep up mentally as well as physically.

"But you said the Solissi's timelines are fixed," she panted, practically sprinting to match the Doctor's pace. "If the psychic field jamming, or whatever, failed, and they saw the fair exploding, how were they able to run away? That changes the future."

"Yes, their timelines are fixed insofar as they're not interfered with by some external force," the Doctor replied, slowing to a halt as they approached the trees. "So that means whoever is jamming the frequency, whoever planted the bomb, is not from this planet."

The Doctor determinedly began approaching each tree, placing his hands on the trunks. Rose followed, with an eyebrow cocked.

"The tree holding the device jamming the field would be vibrating on a low level and I'd be able to feel it," he explained when he noticed Rose's confused look. "And if we find the device, my guess is we can find the culprit."

"Um, Doctor," Rose said quietly, pointing upward.

"Yes Rose?" he replied, running his hands along the bark of another tree.

"Doctor!" she whispered fiercely, causing him to finally stop what he was doing and follow the direction of her finger. "There's someone up there."

There, about 30 feet off the ground in a tree just to their left, Rose could just make out a hooded figure tampering with what looked to be a cone-shaped device — she would bet the Doctor's remaining suncakes that it was responsible for jamming the psychic field.

Luckily, the disguised alien didn't seem to have noticed them – perhaps it had poor night vision.

"Oh, you're brilliant!" the Doctor exclaimed quietly, pulling Rose to him and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Here I am, literally not seeing the forest through the trees, and Rose Tyler spots the baddie in an instant."

Rose beamed back at him, rubbing his arm affectionately.

"How are we gonna get to him, then?" she asked. "He's so high up, and the branches don't look too strong."

"Oh, but looks can be deceiving," the Doctor replied, jumping up and grasping a tiny low-hanging branch, which, though bending under his weight, didn't splinter. "The fiber in these trees are about ten-times stronger than those on earth. You stay here – I'm gonna go have a chat with this gal or fella."

Rose opened her mouth to object, but the Doctor was already scampering up the tree, climbing the slim branches like a ladder. Biting her thumbnail, Rose debated following his instructions and staying put. She didn't much like heights, but she felt vulnerable standing all alone on the forest ground – and what if one of this hooded guy's friends came along?

That settled it. Rose tucked the ends of her scarf into the top of her dress – didn't want those getting caught on the branches and ending things long before her less-than-seven months were up – and began to climb the tree, following the Doctor's technique.

Her sandals were surprisingly useful for tree-climbing – the soles gripped the branches and were flexible enough to bend around them, giving Rose a sturdy hold.

She was about 15 feet off the ground when she heard the Doctor shout. It was hard to make out exactly what was happening in the dark – though the sky was beginning to brighten – but Rose could tell the Doctor and the hoodied alien were scuffling based on the sounds coming from above her.

The alien appeared to have abandoned its work on the satellite-like device and was now clutching a slim piece of plastic with a blinking button on it. Rose's hair stood on end when she realized what it must be – the bomb's detonator.

Though the fairground was now a ghost town, she had no idea just how powerful the explosive might be. The bomb could be atomic, or worse.

Rose wondered if she might be of better use locating the bomb and somehow disarming it than she was clinging to a tree yards below where the action was happneing. She turned her gaze back toward the clearing, trying to pick out a spot where a bomb could be hidden, when she noticed a small crowd of Solissi – Intuitives and Unknowings alike, were quietly gathering at the base of the tree.

Though she frantically motioned for them to move away, the crowd stood their ground and continued to grow in number. Rose was about to climb down the trunk and usher them back to the safety of their village when, one by one, the Intuitives began to point toward the hooded alien and the Doctor.

Rose's eyes followed their gesture, but whatever they had seen had yet to come to pass. She started to climb down the branches, determined to move the people away from the area, when she heard the Doctor shout again.

The alien was beginning to barrel down the tree, climbing along the branches at an alarming rate – and heading directly toward Rose. In its haste, however, it still seemed not to have noticed her.

After a moment of panic, Rose realized she could use this to her advantage.

"Parallel bars were always my favorite," she muttered under her breath, jumping to grab hold of a nearby branch and sucking in a nervous breath as it bent under he weight.

Once she was sure the branch would hold, Rose pointed her toes and began to swing her legs back and forth, building momentum. The alien was still hurtling toward her and would likely reach her in seconds.

The branch, though smooth, was chafing Rose's hands, but she hardly registered the pain as she urged her body forward, trying to get up enough speed to do a handstand on the branch.

Finally she managed it, wobbling a bit as she fought to hold her balance. Her former gymnastics coaches would be horrified by her form, but it would do the trick. Rose didn't have to wait for long, thankfully, because the alien flew right past her and paused on a branch below where she was positioned.

Rose had to suppress a giggle – it was really making this easy. She took a deep breath and let her body fall forward in an arching swing, her sandaled feet connecting with the unsuspecting alien with a loud _thwack_.

It tumbled through the air, its heavy cloak billowing, before landing on the ground with a thump. Rose let out a loud whoop as it took a few staggering steps in an attempt to flee, but was quickly subdued by members of the Solissi crowd. An Unknowing with a badge – possibly a policeman – carefully picked up the detonator, which had landed a few feet away.

Rose felt a pair of hands on her waist, guiding her dangling feet back until they were firmly on a branch.

"Told you to wait on the ground," he murmured in her ear, obviously pleased despite his mild scolding.

"Well you're lucky I didn't because I saved your tail," Rose laughed, wishing the branch was large enough for her to turn and face him. "What happened to you up there?"

"I saw what you were planning," the Doctor said, wrapping his arm around her waist as she wobbled. "Drove him right too you."

Rose smiled and rolled her eyes, resting her hand on his arm.

"Gee, thanks."

The Doctor and Rose carefully descended from the tree and were surprised to be met with loud cheers from the Solissi crowd – now quite large – once their feet touched the ground.

Rose blushed and did an awkward curtsey, quickly fixing her bunched-up scarf. The Doctor beamed and waved, before stalking off to exchange information with the small group of badge-wearing individuals, who did indeed turn out to be policemen.

The thankful Solissi attended to Rose, giving her a glass of water and offering her yet more suncakes, until the Doctor returned.

"They've taken the alien to hospital and then he'll be in police custody until they hold a trail," he reported, smiling as he took a large bite of a suncake offered by an Unknowing woman. "The police believe he's part of a terror cell from Lunatrabem, one of Solisortis's neighboring planets. He's part of an extreme faction that believes it's unnatural for any being to see into the future. Police don't think he was acting alone, but they've launched an investigation to find the other terrorists and the bomb itself. The immediate threat seems to have been lifted."

The Doctor shoved the rest of the cake into his mouth and wrapped his arms around Rose, giving her a sticky kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks to you," he said, voice muffled by her hair. "Oh! And the Solissi have invited us to be their special guests at the sunrise celebration, which is now taking place in the village square."

"Lovely," Rose murmured, hugging him close as she felt the remaining adrenaline course through her veins. She hoped the celebration would help burn off her excess energy, though she could think of other ways…

"We better hurry, because it's starting to get bright," the Doctor said, giving Rose a squeeze before he stepped back and reached for her hand.

Rose winced when his fingers closed around hers, her hand still raw from swinging around the branch.

"You're hurt," the Doctor said quietly, turning her palms up and inspecting them with a furrowed brow.

"It's fine," Rose smiled, hoping he didn't blame himself as much as his face suggested. "They're just scratched."

The Doctor scowled and led her away from the crowd, motioning for Rose to sit on a tree stump as he kneeled before her. Rose swallowed, emotion building in her chest as she watched him adjust the settings on the sonic before gingerly beginning to run the tool over her scrapes.

He looked acutely focused as he worked, acting as if he was restoring a lost Renaissance masterpiece instead of mending a few minor lacerations. Rose searched to find words that would comfort him, but nothing she thought of would express how she truly felt.

Instead she watched him quietly, relieved when he finished with one hand so she could reach out and touch his face, tenderly brushing her thumb along his cheek. He smiled while keeping his eyes locked on his task, sonicing the last of her pain away.

Once he'd placed the screwdriver back in his pocket, Rose leaned into him, running her hands over his back as she kissed him longingly. The Doctor responded immediately, inching one knee between hers as he pressed his body flush against hers.

Rose tried to express everything she had wanted to say with her lips and tongue and occasionally her teeth, moaning quietly as the Doctor ran a cool hand down the length of her spine, making her shiver beneath the thin fabric of her dress.

The Doctor seemed as lost in Rose as she was in him, tongue gliding along the roof of her mouth before edging her molars. He growled quietly each time he felt the sharpness of Rose's teeth against his skin, wrapping his arms around her even tighter.

As the wetness began to pool between Rose's thighs, she knew she would either have to stop snogging him or shag him right here on the forest ground, within view of the remaining Solissi milling around the area.

Sighing, she regretfully chose the former option, gently removing her lips from his and burying her face into his neck, hugging him close.

"Talk about kissing it better," she giggled, smiling as she felt the Doctor's laugh rumble through his chest beneath hers. "It's even brighter now. We should probably head to the village or we'll miss the sunrise."

The Doctor gently extricated himself from her arms enough to look at her face and cup her cheek with one hand.

"I suddenly don't care very much about the sunrise," he said lowly, eyes dark.

Rose blushed and bit her lip – she loved it when he looked at her like that, like he wanted to devour her then and there, but it wouldn't do either of them any good while she sat on a tree stump, while he kneeled in the dirt. However, she hoped the desire in his eyes would resurface soon, when they were alone on the TARDIS, when he might finally let her make him feel as he had done last night.

"Oh, come on," she said, standing and pulling the reluctant Time Lord along with her. "It's what we came here for – and I believe I heard rumors of dancing."

The Doctor smiled as he crooked his elbow for Rose to lace her arm through his, and the two set off down the winding path leading toward the village.


	8. Chapter 8

***Author's Note: NSFW Chapter :) :) ***

The horizon was beginning to glow by the time Rose and the Doctor reached the village square.

The quaint piazza was similar to those Rose had seen in ancient Rome, except the cobblestones paving these streets had a golden hue, and the round, wooden houses lining the square were on rickety-looking stilts that came up to her shoulder.

She reminded herself to ask the Doctor if this part of the planet experienced flooding or just prefered living slightly elevated off the ground — she couldn't ask him now because the masses filling the small, crowded square began to cheer as soon as she and the Doctor came into sight.

Soon, the Doctor and Rose were separated as the grateful Solissi thanked them, giving the Doctor heartfelt handshakes and Rose warm hugs. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose could see the Doctor accepting more suncakes, which he squirreled away in his pockets.

She pursed her lips in a failed attempt to hide a smile — 900 years old and still trying to hoard his favorite sweets.

After a few moments, the hugs and handshakes ceased as each and every Solissi stopped what they were doing turned westward, linking hands with whomever they happened to be standing next to. Rose quietly made through the silent, waiting crowd to the Doctor, grabbing ahold of one of his hands as he leaned over and kissed her temple.

As Rose rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder, the two joined the Solissi in raising their eyes expectantly toward the horizon. All was silent, save for a few whistling birds and the sound of the trees' limber branches creaking as they swayed in the light wind.

It was all so peaceful Rose realized she was holding her breath, not wanting to disturb the quiet moment by exhaling. She couldn't be sure, but she thought the Doctor was too.

Then, with no announcement or bravado, the planet was illuminated.

Though just a sliver of the sun was visible, its rays flooded landscape, turning the muted scene bright and vibrant. Rose didn't know how she expected the people to celebrate the sunrise — perhaps more of the cheering they'd heard so much of already — but she gasped when, simultaneously, each Solissi closed their eyes and began to sing.

The TARDIS didn't translate the lyrics — or perhaps the tune was simply harmonious sounds without meaning — but the singing was so melodic Rose soon felt tears pricking at the backs of her eyes. She knew she should be watching the sunrise, but Rose couldn't tear her eyes from the crowd, awed by the fact that people from all walks of life — young and old, rich and poor, Intuitive and Unknowing — could so seamlessly come together to create such a moving hymn of gratitude and rebirth.

The Doctor squeezed her hand and she looked up at him, finding the same emotion that she was feeling in his eyes. He leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Told you this was special."

The singing soon turned more upbeat as the glowing sun rose higher, casting soft orange and purple hues across the clouds. The sun itself seemed massive, taking up a large portion of the sky, making itself at home in the spot it would stay for months to come.

It didn't seem as bright, but Rose still tried not to look directly at the star, remembering childhood warnings from her mother when she caught Rose staring at the sky. Still, it was hard to avoid it as she danced in circles with the Solissi, twirling a shimmering pink and gold streamer above her head.

Everyone in the crowd had been given a streamer, even the Doctor, who had insisted on the bright blue ribbon when someone had tried to hand him chartreuse. It created a breathtaking effect, with hundreds of people dancing and singing while waving a rainbow of flowing streamers in the air, all in front of the looming, beaming sun.

After dancing for what felt like hours, Rose's feet began to ache, but she had no intention of stopping. The Doctor grabbed her hand and gave her a twirl before pulling her in and locking elbows, spinning square-dance style.

Rose threw her head back and laughed, feeling truly lost in the moment, and if it weren't for the centrifugal momentum of their dancing she'd have leaned in and kissed the Doctor for the way he looked at her just then.

Thankfully he felt the need for nearness too and pulled her in close, one hand firm on the small of her back as the other pressed her fingers to his chest. As they swayed to a rhythm much slower than the thrumming beat of the crowd, Rose could feel the light weight of his blue streamer cascading down the back of her dress.

From that moment on, the touch of satin would always feel like happiness.

Rose leaned her head against the Doctor's sternum and breathed him in, not for the first time marveling at how he could make her imagine they were the only ones to exist in all the world, despite being amongst a gathering of hundreds.

The Doctor rested his cheek atop Rose's head and splayed his broad hand across her back, fingers sliding along the thin fabric of her dress. Rose wondered if he could detect her increase in heartbeat at that motion — it never took much for her body to react to him, but she seemed to be even more sensitive to his touch since last night.

This time, rather than fight it, she gave into those feelings, focusing on his muscular chest beneath her cheek, her breasts pressed against his abdomen, his hipbone nudging the side of her stomach. The Doctor ran a finger along her spine and Rose shivered against him.

"How far is the TARDIS from here?" she asked distractedly, her desire to be alone with him superseding the desire to stay on this planet, however lovely it may be.

"Oh, about an hour's walk," the Doctor replied, his warm breath tickling the wisps of hair at her temple. "But…" he continued teasingly, stepping back and jangling a pair of keys in front of Rose's face. "The Police Commissioner offered up his guest house to thank us — said we can stay as long as we'd like."

"And it's closer than an hour's walk?" Rose smiled hopefully, keeping her hands on his waist as though the throng might sweep him away.

"Just around that corner," he said, tilting his head to the right to indicate the direction without taking his eyes off her. "You tired? It's easy to get thrown off by the light, but you've been up for nearly 15 hours."

"Yeah," Rose replied, because it was the easier answer, linking her fingers through his belt loops as she pulled in him for a hug. "M'sleepy."

The Doctor chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tight before grabbing her hand and leading her through the crowd in the direction he had nodded.

"You've had quite a day, my Defender of Solisortuis," he beamed, nearly shouting over the noise of the continuing celebrations. "Let's get you tucked in."

_If this is a guest house, what must Solissi homes be like?_, Rose wondered as the Doctor turned the key and threw the double doors open wide.

The house, nestled a few streets behind the main square, consisted of one large, round room with more windows than walls. Seven steps lead up to the front door, as the house was on stilts like the others, and it seemed to be made entirely of wood from the local trees, the shining white bark left on each plank.

Rose stepped into the center of the room and looked up, marveling at the height of the ceiling and its intricate support rafters, hard wood in contrast with the soft bunches of wildflowers dangling from each beam. Their light fragrance filled the room, calling to mind relaxing summer trips to the Cotswolds with Shareen's family.

The room's furnishings were simple; a small kitchenette, a square birchwood table with chairs, a white dresser, a white settee facing the back gardens, and a large, plush bed with white linens. The Solissi certainly had a thing for monochrome in their home decor.

"Solisortus is home to the much sought after tri-horned anatidae, which is actually related to your species of geese on earth," the Doctor said, noticing Rose eying the plush comforter. "Their feathers are among the softest in the galaxy and their down is even softer."

As if to prove it, the Doctor took a running start and leaped onto the bed, his back sinking into the duvet with his arms and legs splayed, creating a Time Lord-shaped snow angel.

"Ooh, this is definitely filled with down," he hummed appreciatively, eyes closed as he soaked in the sensation. "You've got to feel this, Rose."

Rose kicked off her sandals, tossed her scarf aside, and followed suit, shrieking as she leapt into the air and landed face-down half on top of the lounging Doctor. She couldn't help but moan at how nice it felt, the feathers shifting under her body like those memory foam mattresses back home. For the first time today, Rose looked forward to the prospect of actually sleeping.

The Doctor, who had made an exaggerated wounded sound when Rose landed on him, wrapped the arm she had trapped beneath her around her waist and tickled her belly with his free hand. As Rose broke down into convulsing giggles, they both sank further into the duvet.

She fought back, sneaking a hand beneath the Doctor's jacket to run her fingers along his ribs, reveling in the goofy laugh that erupted from his lips. The Doctor retaliated, tugging his arm free from beneath her body and capturing both her wrists in his hands. In an instant, he pinned Rose's arms on either side of her head, his knees planted astride her hips.

Their laughter quickly quieted, the sound of their breathing filling the room as the heavy moment stretched between them. Rose was overwhelmed by the promise of it, losing herself in the heady feeling of the Doctor hovering over her, the weight of his knees next to her waist, his gaze dropping from her eyes to her lips.

She couldn't help but lift her head off the mattress to meet his kiss, whimpering softly as his tongue quickly delved into her mouth. Rose wriggled beneath him, her dress hitching up her thighs as she tried to make contact with his body, to press her chest, her hips — anything — against his, but it was impossible with the way he was restraining her.

Need continued to build within her as the Doctor began to kiss a trail down her throat, but Rose already knew she wanted more than the one-sided release he gave her last night. She needed to touch _him_, too, to make him _feel_ — and she could tell he had wanted it too, based on the look in his eye as he touched her, the sound of his voice as he said she was beautiful when she came.

Somehow, she managed to twist her leg behind his knee and knock him off balance enough that he slipped on the duvet, the full weight of his body resting on top of her. Rose moaned at the feel of him finally on her, nipping on his bottom lip as he brought his mouth back to hers.

The Doctor seemed to like it too, for a moment, beginning to grind his hips lazily against hers until he seemed to remember himself. Before Rose could register what had happened, the Doctor had released her arms and moved off her body, sitting next to her on the mattress with his legs dangling off the side.

Dazed, Rose propped herself up on one elbow as she surveyed him — his shoulders were tense and his brow was furrowed as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair.

Rose hated the frustration that was collecting in her chest. None of this was his fault; if things got messy between them, he'd be the one left to pick up the pieces. She was sure that's what he was thinking about, why he was holding back.

Righting her dress, Rose hauled herself off the soft bed and walked over to one of the many windows, looking without seeing. She pulled out the hair tie to release her ponytail, running a hand through her locks in a subconscious mirror of the Doctor's motion as she pondered how to deal with the situation.

Every inch of her wanted him, physically, emotionally — all of it — but she had to make sure she kept his best interests in mind. However, each time she landed on the fact that it might be better if they didn't further complicate their relationship, she couldn't help but think not acting on their feelings wouldn't lead to even more regret.

"For a minute, I thought…" The Doctor's voice startled her from her thoughts, quietly slicing through the tense silence of the room before breaking off in frustration.

Rose turned to see him tugging on his ear and almost grimacing as he struggled to find the words. Her heart lurched as she realized how her actions must seem from his perspective — that he must think she's upset with him. She quickly walked over to him and took his hand, squeezing it as he looked up at her and gave a tentative smile.

"You thought what?" she asked.

"Earlier, in the tree, I thought-" he fought on, dragging the words from his throat. "I thought that might have been it, that might have been the end. And I couldn't get to you in time, I-"

He broke off again, shaking his head in frustration at the difficulty of expressing how he felt. Rose realized it was the first time he was admitting that he feared they may not be able to change her foretold future, too.

"But nothing happened," she said gently, cradling his face with her free hand. "Barely even got a scrape — and even those are gone now, thanks to you."

The Doctor gave a small shrug and looked over Rose's shoulder, appearing to studying whatever was beyond the window.

Realizing she needed another approach, Rose decided to voice a thought that had been niggling at her all day.

"You know Doctor, after all that's happened over these last couple of weeks, after you told me about the damn Storage Room, I think these Unknowings have it figured out," she said, taking in a shaky breath at the cocktail of pain and relief that coursed through her body — it was difficult to address her looming fate head on, but it was something she needed to do. "It's worse, I think, knowing what's going to happen."

Rose's tears welled as the Doctor finally met her eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but she shook her head to stop the words — she knew that, despite his own doubts, he would try to reassure her, and she couldn't bear to play along anymore. Not after what the little girl told her at the fair.

The Doctor looped his arms around Rose's waist and she stepped closer, straddling his legs and sitting lightly on his lap.

"I didn't want you to find out about the room," he said, quietly, his face unreadable.

"You left a trail of jam," Rose giggled, resting her arms on his shoulders as a quick smile flashed across his lips. "I'm glad you told me, Doctor. I wouldn't want you to carry the weight of that on your own."

She began to slide his jacket off his shoulders, and he let her, momentarily removing his hands from her waist so the coat could slip free.

"S'just," she began as she slowly loosened his tie, studying the smooth fabric between her fingers — it was silk like the streamers. "Sometimes, I think, you can get lost in the future. But the present — it's all we really have, isn't it?"

The Doctor's eyes were hard when Rose finally met his gaze, her hands stilling on his tie as she tried to work out what he might be thinking. She could practically feel his mind wrestling with the decision placed before him, to take the next step with her or to continue on as they were. His muscles tensed with the conflict of it, jaw squared tightly.

Then, every so slightly, Rose felt his fingers squeeze her waist.

That was all the signal she needed.

Rose kissed the Doctor hungrily, knowing she had read him correctly when she felt his teeth graze her lips. The kiss was sloppy and frenzied, punctuated with gasps for air and muffled sounds passed between their mouths.

Finally succeeding in removing the tie from the Doctor's neck, Rose began to slowly slide forward on his lap, giving him enough time to understand her intent in case he wanted to stop her.

The Doctor only tightened his arms around Rose's waist and her knees soon hit the mattress as she slid all the way into his lap. She gasped and drove her hands into his hair as she finally felt his hardening length against her stomach, the mere awareness of his arousal sending a jolt of pleasure coursing through her.

While the Doctors arms moved to caress Rose's back, bunching her light dress up with each stroke, his lips stilled as she pressed her hips against his, trapping his erection between them. Glad to finally have him at her mercy, Rose kissed her way to the Doctor's earlobe, sucking the soft skin into her mouth as she slowly rocked against him.

The angle wasn't quite right, though, and it was awkward for Rose to move with her feet still on the floor. She released the Doctor's ear for a moment as she lifted one knee onto the mattress and then the other, slowly sinking down onto his lap in a position that made the Doctor groan.

Rose moved to capture his ear again, but the Doctor turned his head quickly and caught her lips, tongue battling hers as she gently ground her hips against his. She moaned at the feel of him growing harder still under her movements, wondering if the Doctor could smell how wet she was by now, as he must have detected her arousal the night before.

To distract herself more than anything, Rose abruptly leaned forward, forcing the Doctor to lie back on the duvet. She thought he murmured something like "minx" as he moved his hands down her body, brushing over her bum as he began to smooth his fingers over the backs of her thighs.

With each pass he inched his hands higher, first letting his fingers brush the hem of her dress, then pushing it upwards bit by bit until he had bunched the fabric over her hips. As his fingers traced the outline of her knickers, Rose's need boiled over and she began to unbutton the Doctor's shirt, peppering his neck with wet kisses.

By the time she finally got his shirt open, the Doctor's hands had regretfully left her knickers and were inching their way up her spine, his thumbs ghosting her ribcage through the thin dress.

Rose groaned as her hands found the Doctor's undershirt — why _so many_ layers? — and she sat up, crossing her forearms and gripping the hem of her dress. _Someone_ needed to lose an article of closing, and that easiest someone was her.

As she pulled the dress over her head and tossed it carelessly somewhere behind her, Rose heard a small strangled noise escape from the Doctor. She smirked and raised an eyebrow at him, but he didn't notice, enraptured with her body as he was.

Rose began to rock her hips against his again as she took in the now familiar slack-jawed look he appraised her with, eyes consuming every inch of her now-exposed skin while repeatedly lingering on her breasts. She congratulated herself on the foresight to forego the bra this morning.

Though the Doctor's grip on her thighs tightened, he didn't move his hands. Not wanting to rush him, but needing to spur some action from him at the same time, Rose gently covered his fingers with his own.

"Touch me," she whispered, half question, half command.

The Doctor's eyes seemed to darken at her words and he loosened his hold, allowing Rose to draw his hands up her body until they each rested on her breasts. Rose closed her eyes at the sensation, realizing for the first time that he hadn't touched her there last night — and how much she needed him to.

The Doctor brushed his thumb over her hardening left nipple and Rose leaned into his touch, seeking more friction.

Suddenly, the Doctors hands were on her back, pulling her down onto him so that her face was beside his ear, forearms supporting her on either side of his head. His hands stroked her back and pulled her closer still, Rose blindly following his wordless commands until she felt his tongue dart across her breast.

She gasped, lowering her head against the mattress as he took her nipple into his mouth, tongue tracing her hard peak before sucking roughly. Like his mouth, the Doctor's hands came alive too, smoothing down her back and squeezing her bum before caressing the damp insides of her thighs.

Rose's breathing became shallow as her world narrowed to the places where he was touching her, to his hot breath on her skin as his teeth grazed her other nipple before giving it the same treatment as its twin.

It was then, in a fleeting moment of clarity, Rose realized that she still hadn't truly touched him. Not in the way she had wanted to, anyway, since he'd made her come last night.

Summoning willpower she didn't know she had, Rose sat up, still straddling the Doctor's waist.

"Take your shirt off," she breathed through gritted teeth.

The Doctor looked dazed for a moment before he grinned, propping himself up on one elbow and then the other as he divested himself of the button-down. Rose helped him pull the undershirt up and off over his head.

Now it was her turn to take him in, her eyes mapping his thin but muscular frame, his defined chest, his strong arms. Next her mouth followed everywhere her eyes had glanced; licking a line up his abdomen, swirling her tongue around each nipple, sucking at the hollow of his adams apple.

Rose grinned against his skin as the Doctor offered quiet encouragements between moans, some she understood and some she did not. This is exactly what she had yearned for last night — to make him come undone with her hands and mouth.

She returned her lips to his chest, sucking gently on his nipple as she snaked a hand between their bodies, carefully unfastening his belt and the button of his trousers. Releasing his nipple with a soft pop and giving the Doctor a saucy grin, Rose scooted down his body until she was sitting on his thighs so she could focus her attention on unzipping his fly and helping him shimmy the trousers off his hips.

She hadn't gotten far before she smiled around the lip she was biting in anticipation. Rose's eyes flew to meet the Doctor's, who had propped himself up on his elbows to watch her. He looked deliciously tousled and flushed, and when she caught his eye he winked; Rose wasn't the only one who had left off an article of clothing this morning — the Doctor wasn't wearing pants.

Smirking, she tugged his trousers the rest of the way off — quickly removing his trainers and socks while she was at it — before crawling back up his _finally_ naked body. Rose sighed as she ran her fingers up the length of his cock before taking it in hand, hearing the Doctor suck in a breath as she did so.

She slowly began to stroke his shaft, loving the feel of him in her hand. While she worked, her eyes took in the length and width of him, and before long Rose was rubbing her thighs together at the thought of how good he'd feel inside her. The Doctor moaned as she brushed her thumb over his tip, spreading the seeping wetness, and her eyes flew to his face, taking in the tense pleasure written on his features.

Pushing her hair over one shoulder, Rose leaned forward and took the Doctor's cock in her mouth, tasting the saltiness of him on her tongue. The Doctor breathed her name and she felt his hand tangle gently in her hair as she moved her lips lower, pressing her tongue flat against the underside of his shaft.

Rose was torn as she swirled her tongue around his head before taking him in her mouth again; she wanted so badly to suck him off to completion, to feel his legs quake beneath her fingers and his hot cum hit the back of her throat. But at this point she also needed some relief herself, and rubbing her thighs together wasn't doing much good anymore.

Releasing one hand from the Doctor's thigh, she smoothed it between her own damp legs, moaning around the Doctor's cock as she ran her fingers over her soaked knickers. She was about to move the fabric aside and plunge her fingers into her when the Doctor's hand closed around her wrist.

He had sat up without her realizing and, with his jaw set, gently lifted her face until she released him from her mouth. Rose looked up at him questioningly.

"Want you," he said roughly, caressing her cheek with his thumb before kissing her hungrily. "Want to be inside you."

Rose whimpered something that she hoped sounded like "yes" as she allowed him to shift her onto her back, the Doctor's teeth and tongue forging a red trail down her neck. He skillfully peeled her skimpy knickers off with one hand, flinging them who knows where.

She parted her legs, letting his slim hips fit comfortably between her thighs, his cock nudging aimlessly at her folds as the Doctor's lips found her breasts once more.

"Please," she whispered, grinding against him to no avail as her hands grasped at his shoulder blades, hoping to spur him on. She needed to feel him inside her. Now.

The Doctor shifted so the head of his cock prodded her entrance, slipping in an inch or so as he thrust shallowly, continuing to lavish attention on her nipples. Rose groaned and circled her legs around him, locking her ankles. She could hear herself babbling, pleading whispers interspersed with his name, but she was so far gone she didn't care.

Releasing her breast, the Doctor shifted again to capture Rose's lips in a languorous kiss, causing his cock to slip out of her and glide over her clit. For someone who had just announced his need to fuck her, he sure was taking his time. She moaned and grabbed his face with both hands, pulling his mouth from hers.

"Doctor," she panted, waiting for his glazed eyes to settle on hers. "Now."

He had the nerve to flash her a toothy grin as he moved a hand between them to position his cock at her entrance. Had Rose not needed him inside her so bad, she was sure she would have smacked him.

His face turned serious, though, as he held her gaze and finally began to push inside her. Rose's thumbs caressed his the light stubble on his face as he slowly filled her, glad for the light from the new sun that allowed her to see his features so clearly.

She could tell he was holding back as he let her adjust to the size of him, finally burying his face in the crook of her neck as he filled her to the hilt. He felt so good inside her, stretching her just enough to truly feel him, but not enough to hurt.

Rose caressed his back as he stayed there for a moment, seeming to regain his composure, before pulling out a bit and gently thrusting back in. It wasn't long before they found a steady rhythm and the temporary calm that had overtaken them both quickly dissipated, their needy noises increasing in volume as they both sprinted toward release.

The Doctor was a talker, it turned out, but Rose understood less of his words than before as he rasped in his native tongue. She found it a turn-on regardless, and soon found herself responding in kind, rewarding each thrust with a _yes_, _good_, or _fuck_, distantly remembering that he'd appreciating her cursing the night before.

Her words quickly dissolved into low, needy sounds as the Doctor's pounding thrusts became longer and faster, driving her to the precipice without nudging her over the edge to her release.

Rose could tell the Doctor was close, too, the way his breath sounded ragged against her ear and the desperation with which his hands roamed her body, gripping her breasts, her hips, her arse. She tightened her legs around him, nails digging into his back as she whispered encouraging words into his ear.

Part of her wanted it to last longer, hoping to draw out their first time together since they had spent the better part of the past two years leading up to now. But more than anything, she needed to feel the Doctor come undone inside her, to explode with him in that moment as their bodies felt everything that went unsaid between them.

As Rose's cries grew more needy, the Doctor fit his hand between their bodies and began to rub her clit just as he horsely groaned her name, pumping frantically into her as he came. That's all it took for Rose to tumble along with him, shattering around the sound of his voice as she felt his cock twitch deep inside her.

They stayed entwined like that for a few moments, the Doctor hovering over Rose as they panted in unison with their foreheads touching, slowly coming down from the powerful orgasms they had just experienced.

Then, wrapping his arms around Rose's back, the Doctor rolled them over so she was on top of him, his softening cock still inside her. Rose giggled and kissed him lazily, waiting for her heartrate to slowdown. Every inch of her felt relaxed and sated.

"And here I thought nothing could top your back massage," she smiled, resting her cheek on his chest.

The Doctor chuckled and tightened his arms around her.

"You just wait, Rose Tyler. I haven't even brought my A-game yet."

Rose made a titillated noise, punctuated by a long yawn.

"I forgot we came in here so you could sleep," the Doctor said.

"Nah, that was just a ruse," Rose replied sleepily. "Wanted to get you alone."

"Cheeky," the Doctor said, rolling them over again so they were both on their sides, legs intertwined. "If I can find my sonic I can pull down the blackout blinds."

"No," Rose said, closing her eyes as she nuzzled into him. "I like the light."


	9. Chapter 9

"And don't forget the biscuit tin!" Rose called after the Doctor, who had just stepped out of the media room to make tea for cheesy sitcom night.

It was a tradition they had started not long after Rose had joined him on the TARDIS, when she had discovered a goofy 37th century comedy about a cyborg FBI detective and his incompetent human sidekick. The storyline was inane at best with a side of slapstick, striking Rose's funnybone just right and causing her to laugh so hard she cried.

The Doctor, who had been fiddling away beneath the console, came rushing into the media room with a stricken look on his face, demanding to know what was wrong. This only made Rose laugh harder.

Since then, the Doctor had turned her on to all sorts of lighthearted alien serials and procedurals alike, which they watched together one night each week.

As Rose made herself comfortable on the couch, she thought about how much her relationship with the Doctor had changed since they started traveling together. They had grown closer and closer each week at a steady incline, with the biggest spike on their relationship seismometer taking place during that bright night they spent together on Solisortus.

Since they had made love, when she fell asleep in his arms on top of the duvet and awoke in his arms beneath it, something heavy and finite had shifted between them - in a good way. Rose had never felt closer to the Doctor and she could tell he felt the same as he was slowly opening up and sharing more about his feelings and his past.

They hadn't spent a night apart since, the Doctor curling behind Rose as she got into bed each night and staying with her until she fell asleep, sometimes returning for a short nap just as she was waking up.

The only puzzling thing to Rose was that the Doctor hadn't made a move to be intimate with her since their first night together. And it wasn't for lack of wanting - his hardness gently nudging her in the stomach as they snogged was certainly proof of that. But Rose felt she should leave it to the Doctor to initiate their next time and she was willing to give him as long as he needed to process their new relationship.

Of course, that was easier said than done now that the Doctor stayed with her until she fell asleep and her body craved his more than ever. On a few occasions she found herself palming his erection through his trousers without realizing, before quickly pulling her hand away. And how could she help it, on the couple of mornings he was napping behind her when she woke, that she pressed her bum against his morning hard-on as she drifted up from sleep?

Rose worried about the Doctor's health, too, figuring that all the pent up sexual frustration couldn't be good for any species, superior Time Lord biology or not. She wondered if perhaps he took himself in hand to ease the longing while she slept - a thought she couldn't let herself linger on for long, because there were only so many baths a day a girl could take before their traveling companion would wonder what they were up to.

"I refilled the tin, so it now has every sort of biscuit you could want - custard creams, jammy dodgers, mint chocolate digestives, even those raspberry marmalade ladyfingers we found on New Peru. New Peru - never get tired of saying that - New Peru, New Peru," the Doctor chirped, bounding into the room and placing the biscuit tin and two mugs of milky tea on the table. "Oh, and I added my stash of suncakes, of course."

"Of course," Rose smiled, trying to wipe the guilty look off her face. The Doctor quirked an eyebrow at her, but she reached into the biscuit tin and jammed the first sweet she could find into her mouth.

The Doctor grinned and plopped down on the couch next to her, pulling her feet onto his lap as he telepathically asked the TARDIS to start their sitcom marathon. Rose nestled further into the couch as the lights dimmed, sighing happily as the Doctor began to rub small circles on the sole of her foot.

Tonight's selection of cheesy sitcoms didn't disappoint and Rose's sides soon ached from laughing, although she was growing increasingly distracted by the Doctor's hands. Over the course of a few short episodes, he had moved from massaging her feet to her calves, and now had snaked his hand up the leg of her pajama bottoms and was stroking the sensitive skin on the inside of her knee.

Rose sighed contentedly with each stroke, hoping to encourage him as she lightly ran her other foot along his thigh. She was already growing wet, sensitive as she was to his touch, and she was sure he had to know. The Doctor didn't seem to have any real intent behind his caresses, though, and when the last episode ended and the lights came back on, he simply removed his hand from her leg and smiled down at her.

"Tired?" he asked, reaching for her arms and pulling her up into a sitting position with her knees still bent over his lap.

"Not really," she replied, lifting her arms over her head in a spine-elongating stretch, noting the way the Doctor's eyes roamed over her arching form. She was hopeful from the way he was touching her just then and didn't want to curtail their progress with sleep. "Wanna hang out in the Storage Room? Haven't been in there in few days."

"Sure!" the Doctor grinned, gently lifting Rose's legs off his before standing and pulling her up with him. "Bring the biscuit tin."

Rose set the tin down on the vanity and sat in its matching chair, letting her eyes roam over the mirror that housed the mysterious photo of her and the Doctor smiling on a hillside. The Doctor went about his usual routine that he had developed upon first entering the Storage Room bedroom — a few scans with his sonic, a few peeks into drawers, a few diagnostic flicks of his tongue over random objects.

Visiting the Storage Room had become just another part of their normal live on the TARDIS, and sometimes even Rose forgot what the room signified; that it was the tiny extra mass he was searching for. The Doctor had spent less and less time investigating the room with each visit, which Rose took as a good sign — that meant walking the halls of the Storage Room and hanging out in her future bedroom was becoming normal for him, too.

And that had been her intention when she first suggested they spend time there, back when she first learned about her likely fate. Though she couldn't help but wonder if her grief-stricken idea would truly make it easier for him after she was gone. Perhaps her motivation had been self-indulgent, underneath it all. Maybe she simply wanted to look her stolen future in the face.

Still, she knew the Doctor would be poking around in here whether she was with him or not. At least they were spending the time together. And that, regardless of the initial intent, couldn't be bad.

After a few minutes, the Doctor pocketed his sonic and sat on the edge of her bed, looking at her expectantly.

"So… what do you wanna do?"

"Hmm," Rose chewed her lip thoughtfully. "I could paint your nails again?"

"Not a chance!" the Doctor scoffed. "Do you have any idea how heavy my fingers felt after I let you do that the last time? If you hadn't found the bottle of nail varnish remover I'd probably have mistakenly piloted the TARDIS directly to Clom!"

"Alright, alright," Rose giggled, stifling the disappointment of not getting another chance to hold each of his fingers in her hand, painting them carefully one by one. "We could read, but I'll probably fall asleep. We forgot to pick up my copy of _A Little Princess_ from mum's flat, by the way."

"Oh I know! I remembered as you and her were talking, but your mum was so upset from everything with Elton I thought she might smack me if I tried to take something from your room," he said, rubbing his cheek as if soothing the imaginary whack. "Do you want to pop round and pick it up now?"

"Nah it's alright. I'll grab it next time we're there."

"Okay."

Rose bit her nail as she tried to think of something else for them to do, before realizing there was only one way she wanted to pass the time with him. Standing from the vanity chair, she wordlessly crossed the distance to where the Doctor was sitting on the bed, stepping right between his knees.

He smiled at her and looped his arms around her waist, tilting his head slightly to meet her lips.

Rose made a point to keep the kiss slow and undemanding, raking her fingers through his hair as she fought the flashes of heat that coursed through her with each caress of his tongue.

Aside from hugging Rose close, trapping her chest against his, the Doctor seemed content with their languorous pace too. He pressed his lips against hers sweetly a few times before pulling away and moving mouth lips next to her ear.

"We could take a bath."

Rose quickly leaned back to look at him, her face strewed with confusion and excitement. She searched his features, looking for any clues as to why the man who had been content with simply snogging this whole week suddenly wanted to be naked in a tub with her, but all she found was a warm smile.

"T-that sounds nice," she replied breathily. "Haven't tried those applemelon bath crystals we picked up on Proximetrax Theta."

"Perfect!"

Rose could hear the Doctor's trainers falling to the floor as she turned on the large basin tub's faucets. Though she had been naked with the Doctor before — in the daylight, no less — she suddenly felt nervous at the prospect.

He seemed less affected, though, already unbuttoning his shirt with a grin as she turned to find the bath crystals. Since she hadn't used them since bringing them on board, the TARDIS had moved the container to a higher shelf and Rose found she couldn't reach them even on her tiptoes. But before she could grab her step stool, she felt the Doctor's bare arm brush hers as he reached above her and picked up the crystals, his chest flush against her back.

"Here you go," he said, holding them in front of her face.

Rose couldn't help but lean against him, closing her eyes for a moment before accepting the container. The excitement she had felt was replaced with dread — if she was this turned on to the feel of his body against hers, how would she be able to survive a platonic bath?

"Thanks," she muttered weakly.

By the time Rose had sprinkled a handful of the crystals into the nearly full tub, the Doctor had stripped down to his boxer briefs.

"See you chose to wear pants today," Rose laughed before she could stop herself. She winced, concentrating extra hard on the task of tightening the lid of the bath crystal container. It was the first time she had acknowledged their night together and she wasn't sure how the Doctor would react. "Today felt like a pants kind of day," he replied cheerily, plunging his thumbs beneath the waistbands of the boxers and pushing them off his hips. Rose turned away quickly to replace the bath crystals on the shelf as she heard the underwear fall to the floor, followed by the light splash as the Doctor stepped into the tub. "Oh yes, nice and hot." When Rose turned back to face him, he was chest deep in the large bubbles created by the crystals, with only knees and upper body peeking out of the water. She felt her mouth drift open as she took him in, muscular and sudsy and slightly flushed from the heat of the bath.

"You coming in with your clothes on?" he asked playfully, quirking an eyebrow.

Rose laughed and shook her head, kicking off her slippers. She faltered a bit when the Doctor's gaze didn't move from her body and she realized he was planning on watching every moment of her getting undressed.

Her stomach flipped but she forged on, deciding if he was going to taunt her with a bath she could put on a little strip tease - or the best strip tease she could attempt while in wearing her jimjams, anyway.

She started with her pajama bottoms, slowly untying the drawstring before pushing them off her waist, wiggling her hips _a touch_ more than necessary. When she stepped out of them and fingered the hem of her shirt, she saw the Doctor's hands tighten around the porcelain edge of the tub.

"Better turn the water off," she said, the Doctor's gaze flying from her hands to her eyes.

"W-what?" he stammered.

"The faucets, yeah? The tub's about to overflow."

"Oh, right!" he replied, luanching for the faucets on the other side of the tub so quickly it created a small wave, water splashing over the rim and onto the tile floor.

Rose bit her lip to stifle a giggle and waited for him to stop the flow of water and return to his spot before slowly lifting the shirt up and over her head. She tried to fight the flush blooming across her cheeks and spreading lower as the Doctor's eyes lingered on her bare breasts, nipples already hard from the cool air and arousal. She could almost feel his eyes tracing the fading hickeys on her chest.

She waited, fingers lingering along the edge of her knickers, for his eyes to have their fill and drift down to the lacy fabric below her waist. Sucking in a deep breath as her resolve weakened, she quickly pushed her pants down and off, stepping out of them and into the steaming tub with a splash.

"Mm, it is warm," she said, smiling nervously as she sat facing the Doctor, their legs just touching in the spacious tub. She smoothed the water and bubbles over her arms for want of something else to do, lest she give in and smooth her fingers over the Doctor's chest like she'd prefer.

The Doctor grinned and blew a cloud of bubbles her way, effectively breaking the tension when Rose sputtered as they hit her mouth. She splashed a wall of water at him in retaliation, but that only wet his neck and shoulders, the streams of water drizzling down his chest making him look all the more gorgeous. Rose swallowed thickly.

"Turn your back to me," the Doctor said, hands clearing some of the bubbles away from the space in front of him.

"What?"

"I'll wash your hair."

"Alright."

Rose pivoted slowly in the water until she was facing away from him, scooting backwards when his hands gently gripped her waist and pulled her into the space between his knees. Her breath hitched as his hands lingered on her bare skin under the water, but after a moment and moved them to rest on her shoulders.

"Dip your hair under," he said lowly, and Rose did, closing her eyes as she leaned back just enough to wet her scalp. She smirked as the Doctor's fingers tightened on her shoulders, realizing that arching her back had caused her breasts to peek above the water's foamy surface.

Then his hands were gone from her shoulders and Rose heard him taking her shampoo bottle and squirting some of the cream onto his palm, then smoothing it between his hands. Next, his fingers delved into her hair, shifting and combing through her locks as he began to massage her scalp.

Rose moaned at the sensation of his fingertips on her skin, nails occasionally scraping lightly. He washed her hair gently and thoroughly, making sure none of the soapy water dripped down her face or into her eyes.

The tenderness with which he touched her only reminded Rose of their night in the guest house on Solisortus, causing her to rub her thighs together in an attempt to relieve some tension. She tried to focus on enjoying the act at hand instead of wishing for more, but it didn't take her long to realize that so long as the Doctor was touching her, that battle was lost.

"Dip again," he said, breaking the silence, Rose realizing that they hadn't spoken a word in the last several minutes.

She did as he asked, soaking her hair under the water as he ran his fingers through her submerged tresses, getting the last bits of shampoo out. When she lifted her head again, the Doctor coated the ends of her hair in conditioner before having her dip one more time.

"All done," he said, ringing some of the moisture from her hair and kissing her shoulder. Rose hummed appreciatively and leaned her back against his chest.

"You're good at that," she murmured, moving her body even closer to his until she could feel his cock hard at the small of her back. Well, at least she wasn't the only one turned on. "Want me to do you? Er… wash your hair, I mean."

The Doctor chuckled.

"Nah, I'm having a good hair day — want to make it last."

"Oh, of course," Rose giggled. "What a silly question."

"Very silly," he replied, nuzzling her ear as he covered her arms with his.

They continued to sit like that for a little while, Rose closing her eyes as she felt the Doctor's chest expand and contract with each breath, felt the faint twin pitter-patter of his hearts.

"Doctor, can I ask you something?" Rose said hesitantly after a moment. "And if it makes you uncomfortable or anything you don't have to answer it."

"Of course," he replied, running his fingers along her arm. "Fire away."

"That night, on Solisortus," she said, pausing a moment for the Doctor to hum affirmatively before blurting the end of her question. "Did you feel like… Did I pressure you?"

"What?" he asked, and Rose could imagine the furrowed crease in his brow. "I didn't feel pressured at all. I felt like.. Rose, you have to know, that night, I felt…" The Doctor trailed off, taking a moment to find the words before finishing quietly. "Rose, that night was brilliant."

Rose let out a heavy sigh in relief, smiling as she felt him plant a kiss on her damp hair. She fiddled absentmindedly with one of his fingers while she searched for the confidence to ask the next question.

"Is it something, I dunno, that you'd want to do again sometime?" She cringed at the insecurity laced in the inflection of her voice.

"Oh, absolutely," the Doctor replied assuredly. "But only when you're ready."

"When _I'm_ ready?" Rose asked, astounded. How could he not know she was in a perpetual state of readiness?

"Well, it just seems like, since that night, you've been… holding back," he continued tentatively. "And that's fine! I'm perfectly happy with the kissing and cuddling… and now bathing," he finished, trailing a finger along her arm and giving her gooseflesh.

"But, Doctor, I haven't, I'm not," Rose stammered, trying to wrap her mind around such an epic miscommunication. "I thought _you_ weren't ready. I was waiting for you to make a move, or something…"

"Rose, I _have_ tried to make a move. Loads of times. But every time I did, you seemed to run off to take a bath."

Rose felt her cheeks heat up. So he had noticed that pattern.

"I- I guess I didn't realize that was… that you were… that those were moves."

"Well, they were," he said, covering her hands with his palms and lacing his fingers through hers. "And you, saucy thing that you are, would get me all hot and bothered and then scamper off, leaving me to think about what you were getting up to in the bath."

"Oh," was all Rose could say, her stomach flipping again as she imagined him thinking about her while she was touching herself; as she imagined him touching himself too. She felt emboldened by that knowledge.

"Want me to show you?"

"Hmm?"

"Want me to show you what I got up to in the bath?"

Rose felt the Doctor's chest still as he contemplated her question. He waited so long to reply she was about to take it back, to tell him she was just being stupid. When he finally did respond, his voice was deep and heavy beside her ear.

"Yes."

The now-familiar butterflies swirled in Rose's stomach as she switched positions with his hands, covering the backs of his with the palms of hers and moving them from the side of the tub and into the warm water. (She silently thanked the TARDIS for keeping the bath's temperature as high as it had been since they stepped in - otherwise it would have gone cold by now.)

She first lead his hands to her breasts, which he squeezed before rolling each nipple between his thumb and forefinger until they were hardened peaks. Rose sighed and rested her head against the join of his neck and shoulder, her damp locks falling across his chest as she reveled in the sensation.

Letting his left hand continue to caress her breasts, she dragged his right downward, ghosting her belly and hips before bringing it to the inside of her knee. She slowly drew his fingers against her skin until they reached her upper thigh, then pushed them back along her leg to where the touch had originated.

"So you like to tease yourself, then?" he asked, his breath hot next to her ear, his voice rumbling in his chest beneath her back.

"Yeah," Rose murmured, closing her eyes as she moved his hand to her other leg, giving it the same treatment.

"Guess that explains why you took so long," he said, kissing her neck. "I didn't tease myself much, though. You did enough of that for me."

With that his mouth latched onto Rose's neck, sucking hard as she trailed his fingers down her leg. She moaned, both at the feel of his lips on her skin and at the visual created by his words. So many times had she imagined his fist around his shaft while she touched herself, that him actually describing the act was completely overwhelming.

Unable to wait any longer, Rose finally brought the Doctor's hand to her core, spreading her legs wide as she ran his fingers along her slit before pushing them between her lips. They both moaned softly at the feel of him there, Rose still incredibly wet despite the bath water washing some of her body's lubrication away.

After a few strokes up to her clit and back, Rose let her hands fall away from his, gripping the Doctor's thighs as he continued to work his fingers and lips. He bit down on her neck and she gasped, his tongue lapping at the mark as he gently prodded her entrance with two fingers, shallowly thrusting them inside her.

Rose tightened her muscles involuntarily, clenching around something that wasn't there. Something that was persistently pressing into her back, even harder than before. Well, she had plans for that, but she decided those plans would have to wait as the Doctor slipped his fingers even further into her and his other hand left her breast to rub light circles on her clit.

She called out at the sensation, turning her head against him until her mouth and nose bumped his neck. Rose lazily kissed and sucked at his flesh there, eliciting a groan that shot straight through her as the Doctor's fingers continued to stroke inside her, his movements rippling the water's surface.

It was when he began to curl his fingers forward as he pulled them out that the tension in her stomach expanded, spreading to her chest and wrapping around her tightly. Her breaths came in sharp pants against the Doctor's neck as he applied more pressure to her clit, stroking up and down against her slick skin.

Rose distantly thought that if the Doctor were human, her tight grip on his thighs would leave ten dark bruises.

"Fuck," Rose gasped as her orgasm started to build, her inner walls clenching around the Doctor's fingers. "Yes, there… just th-"

She arched against him as she came, her upper body rising out of the water as she cried out her completion. The Doctor continued to move his fingers furiously, drawing out her orgasm in a way Rose had never experienced; a moment of ecstasy suspended in time.

By the time she came down from the sensation, she felt like she had either melted or evaporated, becoming one with the bath water or steam.

"Holy shit," she panted against his neck. The Doctor laughed quietly.

"Better than on your own?"

"You have no idea."

They sat as they were for a few moments, Rose boneless against the Doctor as he ran his hands over her arms. After a bit, she noticed the water had begun to cool and was once again aware again of the Doctor's hard cock on her back.

Right. She had plans for that.

"Let's dry off — my fingers are all pruney," she said, planting one last kiss to his neck before standing and stepping out of the tub, smiling down at him as he gaped at her dripping body. "And I have something in mind for you."


	10. Chapter 10

"Want you to come in my mouth," Rose breathed between kisses as she walked the Doctor backwards out of the bathroom, white fluffy towels wrapped haphazardly around them.

As soon as she'd stepped out of the tub that hazy, sated post-orgasm calm she'd felt began to dissipate at the prospect of making him come undone, of him completely at her mercy. The cooling flames in her belly began to stir, ashes turning to sparking embers.

The Doctor groaned at this declaration and rocked his hips into her, causing him to lose his balance and stumble backwards, landing unsteadily on the the vanity chair Rose had been steering him toward. She chuckled as he righted himself on the chair and her eyes drifted over him; the few lingering bubbles on his shoulder, the water droplets cascading down his chest, the sliver of thigh exposed through the towel wrapped around his waist.

He looked up at her expectantly, eyes bright with lust, and tugged on her hand to pull her to him again. Rose squeezed his hand and winked, dropping his hold and walking to her bed to collect a small pillow. She then placed it at the Doctor's feet and knelt down, tightening the towel around her chest. The Doctor frowned.

"You are substantially more covered up than you were in the tub, Rose. Your body must be dry by now," he whined. "And what are you doing on the floor? I think you'll find my lap much more comfortable - no pillow required."

Rose bit her lip just a little too hard in an effort not to roll her eyes. Daft alien.

"I told you want I wanted to do, Doctor," she replied, scratching her nails down his thighs over the towel. "'Sides, I like this vantage point."

"Vantage point for wh-" The Doctor started, cutting off his question as Rose tugged his towel open, revealing his stiff length resting against his stomach.

She ran her fingers along his thighs again as she allowed herself to take him in, a luxury she wasn't afforded during their frenzied first time on Solisortus.

His cock was long and a bit thicker than any other bloke she'd been with, Rose licking her lips as she remembered how gorgeous it had felt when he filled her. Like the Doctor himself, it didn't look alien on first pass but, given further inspection, some differences became apparent; his skin had a subtle texture to it, which, upon second thought, had added to the heightened sensation Rose had felt when he was inside her.

As Rose leaned closer, gliding her hands up to grip his hips, she noticed a few faint violet veins spiraling up his shaft - but that was nothing compared to the throbbing blue vein that ran along the underside of Jimmy Stone's penis, thoroughly terrifying a young Rose Tyler. The Doctor's, well, it just looked very _him_, Rose decided with a smile as she bent her head downward.

When her lips had almost reached their target she paused, remembering something he'd said earlier that had piqued her interest. She sat back on her heels and regarded the Doctor carefully, tilting her head to one side.

"Rose," he groaned needfully, eyes half-lidded.

"I'm sorry, it's just," she began, mindlessly running her fingers through the light hair on his thighs. "Earlier you said, well, you didn't really tease yourself, but I was wondering…"

She paused, debating if he would be up for what she had in mind.

"You were wondering what?" he asked, closing his hands around hers to hold them still as his cock twitched against his stomach.

"Well, I'd like to see you," she replied, eyes dropping from his face to his groin. "Touch yourself, I mean."

Rose thought she saw a grin flash across the Doctor's face for a split second, but she couldn't be sure as she was soon distracted by his hand closing around the base of his shaft. He stroked himself up and down slowly, skin gently stretching with each movement of his hand.

"Did you think about me doing this?"

"Oh, maybe once or twice."

"Liar."

Rose blushed and smiled at him sheepishly, noticing he hadn't taken his eyes off her since he started touching himself. She was thoroughly enjoying watching him, learning the speed and grip that he preferred, but she wanted to spur him on too; wanted him to wear that slack-jawed look she liked so much.

She watched him watch her as she ran her hands through her tangled, damp hair, pushing it off her shoulders and behind her back. Then, tantalizingly slowly, she untucked the end of the towel holding it fastened across her chest and let the fabric fall to the ground.

The Doctor's thumb swirled around the head of his cock, spreading the gathering moisture, and picked up speed as Rose trailed her fingers down her body, from her neck to her collarbone to her breasts.

Rose's nerve endings were set alight as she ghosted her fingers over her nipples, overwhelmed by the thrill of watching the Doctor get off to her, his bottom lip caught between his teeth as his stare followed her fingers intently. She traced each areola before tweaking them, turning already hardened peaks harder as the Doctor failed to stifle a groan.

Feeling a moan building in her own chest, Rose let it out, breathy and rich as her eyes momentarily fluttered close. When she opened them she'd noticed the Doctor's hand had picked up speed again and she realized it was time to intervene; she would love to see him bring himself to completion, spilling over his hand and stomach, but not tonight. Tonight she needed to taste him.

Leaning forward and placing her hands on the Doctor's knees, Rose spread his legs and deposited wet kisses on the inside of his thighs before taking his balls into her mouth. The Doctor sucked in a breath and muttered something Rose didn't understand, which made her smile - if he was cursing in Gallifrey she must be doing something right.

Sucking on his taut skin, Rose ran her tongue over him in spirals, humming softly to add to the sensations she was creating. Soon, the quiet sound of the Doctor stroking himself stopped and his hand was on her shoulder, squeezing gently with every groan.

Releasing his sack with a soft pop, Rose lifted her head and draw a wet line up the underside of the Doctor's cock with her tongue. She lapped at the saltiness gathered at his tip, sliding her hands up leverage herself against his bony hips. When she finally lowered her mouth onto him, breathing hot air around his shaft, the Doctor hissed her name.

Rose quickly learned that the Doctor's pleasures were just like any human man's; his hips bucked unintentionally when she sucked for too long on his tip, his hands soon found their way to her breasts, squeezing and playing with her nipples, and he grunted when she let his cock bump the back of her throat, swallowing thickly around him.

"_Rose,_" he said gruffly, and she recognized the tone in his voice. (In that way, too, he was like any human male.)

She picked up speed, pushing him toward completion, feeling the texture of his shaft as she pressed her tongue against it. Anticipating the moment when he would spill into her mouth, Rose trailed one hand down her body and buried it between her thighs, hoping he would last long enough so they could come at the same time.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered how bold she was being; acknowledged that she'd never been quite so forward, sexually, with her other partners. But there was something about the Doctor that made her willing to test her limits, learn what turned her on, what excited her. Had her fingers not just brushed against her clit, she'd have realized it was because she trusted him implicitly.

"Rose," he repeated, thumb brushing her cheek, and she glanced up at him, lips continuing to work his cock.

He was _gorgeous_, flushed and panting and somehow his hair had become a bit disheveled, sticking out straight as if it were as aroused as the rest of him. As her hand continued to work furiously, circling her clit with increasing pressure, Rose noticed the Doctor shaking his head just as she started to feel her orgasm build.

"Rose," he said a third time, like it was the sole word left in his vocabulary, and gently lifted her head from him.

She couldn't help but pout as she brought her hand to a slow stop. They were both so close she could almost taste it, in the most literal of senses.

Without a word he stood, quickly pulling Rose up with him and turning her, placing her hands on the top of the vanity. As she widened her stance for him, Rose was glad he'd had the foresight to change positions - she knew that she'd come harder with him inside her.

While the Doctor focused on positioning himself at her entrance, Rose quickly dipped her wet fingers into her mouth, sucking her flavor from her fingertips. Both hands were back on the vanity by the time the Doctor's head returned above her shoulder, the only evidence a small smirk on her mouth.

Wrapping one arm around her waist with the other hand cradling her breast, the Doctor pushed into her in one fast thrust. Rose's mouth dropped open and her head fell forward at the feel of him, thick and hot with that extra bit of friction inside her.

He continued to pound into her, frantic and needy, his mouth latching onto the join of her neck and shoulder, sucking hard. With her last coherent thought Rose turned her head toward him, nudging his cheek with her nose until he met her lips in a deep kiss. She smiled as he moaned into her mouth in surprise before lapping every last drop of her juices from her tongue.

Eventually Rose had to break their kiss for air, suddenly envying his respiratory bypass. Instead, she settled for studying their reflection in the mirror; taking in the way his hands possessively gripped her body, their matching pairs of hooded eyes, the way her breasts bounced with each of his thrusts, the tension spreading across his face.

The same tension that was building in her again, only spurred on by the sight of the Doctor's hands on her, by the soft, slapping sound of him filling her over and over. Sensing her nearness, he inched his hand from her breast to her navel, swirling playfully before continuing on its path downward.

The Doctor met her eyes in the mirror when his fingers reached her clit and gave it a rough swipe, drawing a needy noise from the back of Rose's throat. He continued to stroke her bundle of nerves like she had showed him in the bath, arm around her waist tightening as he drove into her with increasing speed.

"Fuck," Rose gasped as she began to come, her head lolling back against his shoulder. "Doctor, _unh_, fuck."

She tightened her muscles around him as she came, gently sobbing against the column of Doctor's throat as several waves of release rocked her body. He groaned as he thrust inside her one last time, filling her completely as his cock pulsed, Rose moaning at the sudden warm gush she felt inside her.

She'd caught a glimpse of his face in the mirror as he came, the look he was wearing sending shockwaves through her overly sensitive body. Though Rose hadn't achieved the goal she'd stated at the start of the bath, the result was just the same - the Doctor completely losing himself within her.

They stayed as they were for a moment, Rose feeling the Doctor's warm breath even out against her back while she continued to pant. When she caught his eye in their reflection again they were wearing matching smiles.

"Think we need another bath," she teased, catching her tongue between her teeth when the Doctor laughed.

Instead, Rose grabbed a box of tissues from the vanity and they cleaned themselves up before collapsing into bed, burrowing beneath the blankets.

As she threaded a leg through the Doctor's and curled into his side, Rose felt those three words gather and arrange themselves in her chest. She didn't feel the urge to utter them aloud, though, as she had with past boyfriends. No, these words were hers to keep safe, for now, so she swaddled them inside her, basking in the warmth they brought to her soul.

And when the Doctor tightened his arms around her, she knew he had a matching pair within him, nestled just inches away from hers.

This thought was the last Rose had before she drifted off to sleep, the Doctor telepathically asking the TARDIS to turn down the lights before getting some rest himself.

They wouldn't notice until morning, but it was their first time staying overnight in the Storage Room bedroom. And neither of them had been happier as when they fell asleep with the coins, the book, and the photograph looking on; two lovers lying amongst the ruins of their future.

Three days later, Rose realized what the the extra mass in the storage room was.

The figment that wasn't there the first time the Doctor discovered the room. The tiny bit of matter that suddenly popped into being when Rose learnt of the room and what it meant.

It sprang into Rose's head the way it sprang into existence - suddenly and without reason.

She was sitting on the console chair, filing her nails in preparation of painting them a holographic lilac from a new bottle they'd picked up a couple months back in the Stemeraap System.

They weren't far from there now, the Doctor had told her a few minutes earlier as he swung his trenchcoat onto his shoulders. He had parked the TARDIS on junkyard planet, where he was told he could find a replacement sub-atomic fan belt for the ship's faulty molecular facilitator.

The small local population was very welcoming to humans, but the planet was covered in a perpetual murky smog, so Rose elected to stay on board while he shopped for the part. Should only take him a half hour or so, he'd said.

Rose didn't mind staying behind. It gave her time to think about her fast-approaching fate, something she didn't do much as these happy days flew by.

She'd been pondering the matter for a few moments, mindlessly biting her newly-filed thumb nail, when it hit her. The tiny mass filled her vision, though it did not yet exist.

Rose opened the nail varnish bottle as she mulled the idea over in her mind, wondering if she was being silly, deciding that she was absolutely right.

Then she dropped the bottle, shimmering purple liquid leaking through the holes in the grating.

When the Doctor returned to the TARDIS, Rose was still sitting in the console chair. She smiled at him and sprang up, quickly crossing the floor to meet him for a tight hug.

"You alright?" he asked, glancing down to examine her face only to find it buried in his chest. "Your eyes look a bit... puffy."

"Looks like you found the atomic belt thingy," she said, stepping back and gesturing toward the leathery material in his hand.

"Sub-atomic fan belt," he corrected. "Yes, this is it. But Rose, are you sure-"

"Think some of the smog is seeping in," she replied quickly, cutting off his question. "Having a bit of an allergic reaction or something. Can we go now?"

"Sure," he replied softly, brow still knit. "I can install this once we're back in orbit."

"Ta," she said, taking his free hand and giving it a squeeze.

As the Doctor darted about the console, piloting the TARDIS back into space, he could feel Rose's sad eyes following his every movement.


End file.
